From Two Different Dimensions
by SilverPink11
Summary: Hollows have started coming to Konohagakure. Their sudden intrusion is a mystery and has caused a lot of damage and trouble. Haruno Sakura chooses to go to Soul Society where she will undergo Shinigami training. What will she learn along the way?
1. Invitation To Soul Society

**From Two Different Dimensions**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.**

**This story will include some of my OCs. You'll know who they are as you read the story.**

**Chapter 1: Invitation to Soul Society.**

* * *

**Konoha Village, Shinobi World**

**A hundred years before our heroes were born.**

"Hikari, get out of here! Daisuke, take her to safety!"

Both said people looked at each other questioningly before returning their gaze to the older woman.

"Mom…" Hikari called out. Daisuke grabbed her hand. "Let's get out of here, Hikari-chan!"

"Let go of me, Haruno! I can't just leave my mom alone," the sixteen-year-old girl tried to wriggle free from Daisuke's grip.

And then, more buildings were crashed followed by horrified screams of the villagers. Monsters kept on coming, one by one, gradually destroying the village.

X

**Konoha Village, Shinobi World**

**Present time**

Sakura shifted on the bed, slowly opening her eyes to meet the morning sunlight that hit her. She grunted. She went under the sheets, grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly.

The pink-haired kunoichi sighed. Today was going to be the same as any other day. Every morning, she would get up early, change into a nurse gown and go to work at the hospital whereas in the afternoon, she would be free but have absolutely nothing to do. Sakura had gotten used to that routine.

"_Shall we hang out?"_

"…_ I, uh…" the wristwatch was being observed. "I can't. Will be going on a mission in an hour."_

Sakura had been getting a lot of that lately. No matter who they were. Ino, Tenten, Lee, Naruto or Sai. She rarely hung out with her comrades anymore. They all seem to have neglected her. Or so she thought. Sakura sighed and sat upright on her bed.

But seriously. Tsunade-shishou rarely called her in for training nowadays and her comrades were nowhere to be seen like for almost a month now. Sakura was never the one to have such negative thoughts, but she couldn't help but think that starting not too long ago, she had become invisible to everyone else. Everyone got their own mission or job to do while she hadn't gotten one in a while now. Not even a simple A-rank mission.

"Shannaro! This sucks!" Sakura kicked the sheets off her body but due to her frustration the blanket was forcibly tossed across the floor. "Oops."

She was getting lonelier and lonelier as days passed. She even missed Naruto taking her out on one of those 'dates at Ichiraku ramen stand'. She also had tried requesting for a mission from Tsunade the Hokage, also her mentor, but she got rejected often.

Her mentor had made an excuse by saying that Sakura was needed at the hospital. Moreover, she got the very same answer every time she requested to be on a mission. Sakura had felt like smacking her own big forehead whenever she heard that. Because there was obviously lots of nurses in the hospital capable of handling everything. And besides, there was no serious injuries reported lately. Just some patients having minor cuts, bruises here and there and so on.

Sakura sighed once more. She gathered her strength to get out of bed and slowly walked towards the bathroom. Just then, the sixteen-year-old girl realized that she had a day off today and so would like to take a stroll around Konoha.

X

Sakura rubbed her grumbling stomach, realizing that she hadn't eaten breakfast yet as she walked down the streets of Konoha.

"Ramen wouldn't be bad," she said and headed towards the famous Ichiraku ramen stand. As she entered that place, she saw her blonde teammate there eating his favourite food, ramen.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed. Sakura was surprised yet delighted to see him. She didn't know that he had returned from his mission. The girl took a seat next to him and ordered a bowl of ramen.

"Naruto! It's been a while," Sakura said with a grin.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan. I wish I could spend more time with you but I'm so busy nowadays. I bet you're busy as hell too, Sakura-chan!" he said without looking at her, obviously in love with his ramen more than her at the moment, Sakura noted.

"_Oh, yeah. I am very busy, Naruto," _Sakura thought sarcastically. She was about to take a bite of her ramen when Naruto suddenly said he had to leave.

"I got to go, Sakura-chan. I'm late for training with Kakashi-sensei. See you later!" Naruto said with a foxy grin. He waved Sakura goodbye before he got out of sight.

Sakura pouted. "Kakashi-sensei… How unfair of him to never have called me in for a training session."

She shrugged, split her chopsticks and went for the noodles. Ten minutes later she was on the streets again, heading towards the Yamanaka flower shop. Visiting a bestfriend wouldn't hurt, Sakura thought. As soon as she arrived, she saw Ino at the counter.

"Hey forehead! What brings you here?" Ino asked with a grin.

"Ino-pig, can we talk?" Sakura asked. Ino seemed to be thoughtful for a while.

"I guess. I have a mission in less than an hour so I'm going to get prepared. You can make it short, forehead," Ino said. Sakura stared at Ino for a while and took a deep breath.

Sakura tried to make it sound funny and not so serious, but failed miserably. "Ino-pig, I feel lonely."

Ino raised an eyebrow. There was silence at first. Then, she laughed. Sakura was irked by her friend's reaction.

"Forehead-girl, since when are you like that?" Ino asked and rubbed a non-existent tear from her eye. Sakura remained silent and watched Ino intently, prompting the blonde to continue, "Sakura, believe me it's just you. People are busy getting on with their lives. Seriously, why do I even have to explain this to you?"

Sakura frowned and she couldn't help but think that it was a bad idea that she came here in the first place. She forced a laugh. "You're right. It must be the time of the month. Gosh! Forget what I just said."

"How are you by the way?" Ino tried to ease the subject.

"Great. And you? When is your next shift at the hospital?"

"Great great. Well… I'm not quite sure. Haven't check my calendar yet but it's nowhere within this week. Look Sakura, I have to go now. See you later?"

She sighed and bade farewell to Ino. Now Sakura was on the streets once again. She eventually decided to spend the rest of the day at the library.

The library was quite deserted. Only a few people were seen at the tables concentrating on their books. Sakura browsed through the bookshelves and came across some books designated for medics. She reached her hand out for a book, but pulled back, because she had read it countless times before. And also hundreds of other similar books. Sakura loved reading books. She was an intelligent kunoichi, but being one should always be strategic in missions. Which she yearned for at the moment.

She wandered around, looking for something else other than medic books. She walked to the very end of the library until she saw an unusual book. It stood out from the rest because it looked very old and was sandwiched in between two not-really-old books. Okay, the book didn't really stand out but something drove her to check it out. She grabbed it and read the title on the front cover.

'Different Dimension'.

_"Strange. I've never seen this book before," _she thought and observed the book for a while. It was a dark blue book, rather thin, slightly covered in dust. From the looks of it, no one had ever touched the book and it was left sitting on the bookshelf for a very long time. Sakura looked around for a table.

She saw one near a corner of the library but there was someone there and she immediately recognized the person. To her surprise, it was Sai. Sakura didn't have to guess what book Sai was reading. It had to be a book about emotions. Or understanding people.

Sakura came over and sat across from Sai. The dark-haired man was startled.

"Sakura…"

"Hey Sai, long time no see!" Sakura smiled.

"Y-yeah. Nice to see you again," Sai smiled back at the kunoichi before he resumed his reading. Sakura held up her book and looked closely at the title.

_"Different dimension… Is there any other place that's out there somewhere?" _she thought. Sounds ridiculous, but deep down, something urged her to open the book. So she did. She turned over to the first page and began reading. By that time, Sakura was too focused on the book that she was unable to notice Sai taking out a sketch book and began drawing.

'_It is believed that there is another world that exists besides the Shinobi world that we lived in. It was confirmed by the ninjas from a long time ago during the war time. Their village was attacked by huge, ugly monsters. People wearing black kimono and hakama, carrying katanas killed those monsters. Those people were called Shinigamis. According to one Shinigami who spoke to the ninjas, they came from a place called Soul Society. They came to Shinobi world for the purpose of killing the monsters, called hollows, that surprisingly had the ability to come to the Shinobi world. Later, all of them disappeared into a light hole in the sky.'_

Sakura blinked. She couldn't believe what she had read.

"This has gotta be a fiction, right?"

"What?"

"Oh, nothing Sai. Something about this book… Nevermind. I'll keep on reading."

She wondered if there was actually another world that existed. For heaven's sake! She had been alive for over a decade and had been considered as one of the brightest students at the Ninja Academy. But she had never heard of Soul Society. Actually, she bet no one here did.

Sakura lifted her gaze at Sai. He was looking at her but had reverted his eyes immediately back to his sketch book after that. His hand was busy sketching something. Sakura was curious about what Sai was drawing but decided to continue reading the book.

'_Not much information was told after that. However, before the Shinigamis left, they said they will handle the situation and prevent any more hollows from appearing to this world again. And they did, because years have passed and not a single hollow had ever appeared after the incident. As each year passed, the incident was slowly forgotten and it became completely wiped out from people's memory eventually. The sole purpose of this book being written, is to prepare the people of a future where the incident returns._

_Hollows' appearance:_

_They have ghostly appearance since they are spirits. They wear masks. Most importantly, __**they can't be seen by normal people**__._

Sakura turned to the last page of the book to find out who the writer was.

'_-Author-'_

"_Oh great, the author didn't leave his or her name! This book must be a joke, right?" _Sakura closed the book and sort of regretted to have wasted her time reading a fictional book. The story even sounded convincing. But there was no way… Right?

Sakura looked at Sai. He was still busy drawing something. She caught him looking at her and then sketched something again several times. She wondered what Sai was drawing. Was he drawing her? It was not possible. Then, she heard him muttered the word 'finished' and closed his sketch pad.

"What did you draw, Sai?" Sakura asked. Sai made a sheepish smile and got up to leave. "It's a secret."

Sakura pouted. "Geez, he won't tell!"

She was about to get up too when suddenly the building shook. Sakura fell to the floor with a loud thud. Sai tried to regain his balance by holding onto a nearby wall. He immediately turned to Sakura once the place had stopped shaking.

"What was that?"

"I don't know… Let's go, Sai!" Sakura said. Sai nodded and they hurried outside.

Once they were outside, to their horror, they saw a huge ghostly figure wearing a white mask destroying whatever was nearby.

"What the heck is that?" Sai asked, his eyes widened in disbelief. Sakura was lost beyond words.

"_Ghostly appearance… a mask… No, it can't be…"_

The monster gave a loud cry as it destroyed a building.

"IT'S A HOLLOW!" Sakura shouted.

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society**

"Man, what a drag… another meeting?" a man said as he walked down a hallway.

"Ken-chan, I don't think this is an ordinary meeting," a small smiling pink-haired girl said as she climbed onto the man's shoulder.

"Yachiru's right. Yamamoto-taichou doesn't usually invite Lieutenants to a meeting. Only Captains attend meetings," a blonde woman said.

"Matsumoto is right. Something unusual must've happened," told a silver-haired boy.

The four of them entered the meeting hall to find the rest of the Gotei 13 captains and lieutenants waiting.

"We've been waiting for you, Hitsugaya-taichou, Rangiku, Kenpachi-taichou and Yachiru," Renji greeted them.

"Sorry we're late," Toushiro apologized and all four of them got to their places.

"Hm, doesn't matter. Now that everyone's here, let's start," Commander-General Yamamoto began. The room was silent for a while.

"Still remember Shinobi world?" he questioned suddenly. Everyone seemed to be shocked at the mention of Shinobi world. Some were confused while the others seemed to have already known about it.

"Way back a hundred years ago, hollows had invaded the place, right?" Kyouraku asked as for confirmation. Captain Yamamoto nodded slowly.

"What about it?" Mayuri asked. Captain Yamamoto didn't answer until few moments later.

"What Captain Kyouraku said about the incident a hundred years ago... It's happening now."

Several gasps were heard across the meeting hall.

"You mean, the Shonobi world is under attack… Right now!?" Shuuhei asked in disbelief.

"Quite true. It has been reported that a hollow has appeared somewhere in a village called Konoha."

"So, what's the plan?" Rangiku asked.

"Listen very well…" Captain Yamamoto said. Silence filled the room. Then, he began, "Lieutenants from Divisions three, five, six, nine and ten are to go to Shinobi world and take down the hollow or maybe hollows and after that, hold a meeting with the highly-acknowledged ninjas and explain to them about the situation."

With that, Kira, Momo, Renji, Shuuhei and Rangiku stepped ahead. "Roger!" They all agreed and walked off towards the exit.

"And bring the substitute-Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, with you as well." Captain Yamamoto added.

"What…" Renji was about to say something but he was shoved by Rangiku.

"Come on, Renji we don't have time. Let's hurry."

"There's one more important thing I need to tell you before you leave," Captain Yamamoto said. All heads turned to him immediately.

Commander-General Yamamoto then made his last announcement, which received a lot of mixed feelings among the Shinigamis present in the room. This had never been done before, but maybe this time things might become more serious that it was now an exception. With that new plan proposed, the Shinigamis slowly one by one left the hall, making some preparations.

X

**Konoha Village, Shinobi World**

"Hollow?" Sai asked, puzzled. He looked at his teammate confusedly. Sakura froze on her spot. It seemed very ridiculous somehow. How could something that she read in a book, which she had thought to be a fiction, became a reality in less than a minute?

But if that wasn't a hollow, what the hell could it be? That sort of monsnter had never been spotted here before. But the description in the book exactly matched the monster's characteristics. How could she be wrong?

Then, a middle-aged woman was seen crossing the street in front of the hollow. Sakura and Sai watched in horror as the lady didn't acknowledge her surroundings.

"Get out of there! You're in danger. Can't you see the monster behind you?" Sakura said aloud. She was worried about the normal villagers getting hurt. The woman turned towards Sakura.

"What are you talking about?" the women yelled angrily. Then, Sakura realized.

_'They can't be seen by normal people.'_

Normal people can't see them! It turned out that only humans with high spiritual energy could see the hollows. That was another thing she got from the book.

The hollow was annoyed at the passerby and shoved the woman away from him. A loud scream was heard before it came to an abrupt stop. The poor woman had been crashed into a nearby building and soon became lifeless. That made Sakura really, really angry.

"SHANNARO!" With a chakra-enhanced fist, she charged towards the hollow, which seemed to be unaware of her as it destroyed another building. The hollow suffered from the impact of Sakura's heavy punch and it crashed into a tree.

The hollow gave out a loud cry. Konoha citizens began to panic. They couldn't see what was destroying their properties.

"_Damn! I made that thing angry!" _Sakura cursed. By that time, Sai had already stood beside Sakura. He took out his scroll to perform a jutsu when suddenly someone jumped over both him and Sakura and flew towards the hollow.

"Rasengan!"

"Naruto!" Sakura called out to him. But before Naruto could aim his target, something interrupted him.

"Getsuga tensho!"

A cresent blue-coloured blast sliced the hollow into two. The hollow cried in pain and moments later, it turned into spirit particles. A blonde teenage man was seen coming out of the forest. He was wearing a black kimono and hakama. He also carried a katana which he used to kill the hollow just now. Later, five more people wearing the same outfit appeared. Naruto, Sai and Sakura watched at the newcomers. They looked very different and unfamiliar.

"_Black kimono…hakama…Even those katana… Oh my God, they're Shinigamis! What's going on here?" _Sakura became more lost with the current situation.

"Ichigo, I think that's all for now. There are no signs of hollows at any other places." Renji said. Ichigo looked at his surroundings.

"So this is the Shinobi world." He said. All the six Shinigamis turned to Naruto, Sakura and Sai. The three ninjas held a confused look.

"Who the hell are you guys?" Naruto asked. Just then, several ANBUs and Jounins appeared in front of the Shinigami_s_. Tsunade came too. She stepped forward.

"I'm the Hokage, ruler of this village. So, who are you?"

"Do it now, Ichigo," Renji whispered as he elbowed Ichigo in the upper arm.

"Go, Kurosaki-san," Shuuhei said.

"Does it have to be me?" Ichigo asked.

"YES!" Renji, Shuuhei, Kira, Momo and Rangiku said in unison. Ichigo sighed. He stepped forward.

"We're Shinigami_s,_" he said. Tsunade raised an eyebrow. Shizune came beside her and whispered, "Tsunade-sama, I've heard about them before. One hundred years ago-"

"…Save it, Shizune. I've heard about them already," Tsunade cut her sentence. Shizune just nodded. Tsunade turned to the Shinigamis again.

"After a century, it happened again. What's going on?"

Momo stepped forward and explained. "That is still under investigation. Other Shinigamis in Soul Society right now are trying to figure out the cause of the problem. Further details will be told later when they have gained solutions."

"I see," Tsunade said. She feared that the event that occurred over a hundred years ago would happen again. The first time she had heard about the event was from the elders. And that was when she was just a little child and she hadn't believed it at first… until now that she could see the hollow and Shinigamis in front of her very own eyes.

Tsunade whispered to Shizune, "Shizune, assign a few Chuunins to go the library. I heard that there's a book that explains about another world. I don't know if it is true or not but just search for it. If you find it, bring it to my office immediately."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune complied and proceeded in doing her task. What they didn't know was that the book was already taken by Sakura, who held the book in her arms right now and wasn't even aware of it. Her eyes were fixed at the Shinigamis in front of her.

Remembering the last command given by Commander-General Yamamoto, Ichigo spoke again, "There's one last important thing that we need to tell you. It's more like a request."

"Go on," Tsunade said. The rest of the Shinigamis took in deep breaths.

"If possible, we need a few people here to come with us to Soul Society and undergo a special training to become a Shinigami, like us. It may take years."

All of the ninjas were shocked by the proposal. There was no way someone would willingly leave their beloved village to train something that did not follow the way of Shinobi in another world.

Renji finally spoke. "I know it's difficult, but we Shinigamis from the other dimension won't think it'll be easy for us to come here whenever a hollow appears. We can't predict how serious the problem will become. So until the current problem is solved, we need some of the skilled ninjas here who think they are capable of handling the hollows to come with us."

Rangiku continued further, "Please understand that the way the hollow is killed is different as to who does it. Only a Shinigami's power can cleanse the hollow's soul instead of completely destroying it."

"So, anyone who is willing to take the risk, please accept the offer. This is also for the sake of your village," Kira concluded.

The Konoha shinobis seemed to be thoughtful for a while.

"We give you twenty four hours to decide. Whoever is willing to become a Shinigami, please meet us at the front gate of this village in twenty four hours and we will bring you to Soul Society where you will begin your training immediately. That is all." Renji explained.

He took out his Zanpakutou and thrust it forward, and suddenly sliding doors appeared before the Shinigami.

"We have opened the senkaimon. We'll take our leave now."

The Shinigamis entered the senkaimon to return to Soul Society.

"Remember to meet us tomorrow," Kira managed to say before the door was completely closed.

"What... what the hell is going on?" Naruto was equally confused as anyone else. He watched as the sliding doors disappeared into thin air. The surrounding became noisy immediately as people began to make a huge fuss about the situation. Sakura just stood there on her spot and stared at the ground hard. She hugged the book tightly to her chest.

"_Soul Society, hmm…"_

**-End of Chapter 1-**

* * *

**Next Chapter: Sakura's Decision.**

**Please note:**

**Hakama – a Japanese clothing: the wide, black, pleated skirt worn by the Shinigamis.**

**Taichou – Captain.**

**A/N: This is my first attempt at a crossover fanfiction. Reviews are appreciated. The titles of the future chapters are ready, so tell me in your reviews if you want me to show them in my profile. :)**


	2. Sakura's Decision

**From Two Different Dimensions**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.**

**Chapter 2: Sakura's Decision.**

* * *

It happened out of the blue and unexpectedly. No one seemed to fathom what had happened to the village just now. The situation was extremely weird and unusual for Konoha village. Because most of the villagers couldn't see what had destroyed their buildings, several questions had popped out.

'What monster?'

'Why can't we see it?'

'Is it going to come again?'

'Stop it before it destroys everything!'

Sakura had witnessed the villagers' mixed reactions just after the hollow disappeared yesterday. The villagers were undeniably petrified. Things were under control at the moment but no one had an idea when the 'montser' would come again.

And that was why the Shinigamis had made the proposal. A few selected shinobis were to undergo Shinigami training in order to have the hollow invasion under control, even if it would only help a little.

Sakura was lying on her bed deeply in thought. It had been hours since she was like this. She was thinking about Soul Society and the aforementioned offer. She wondered who would go. As much scary and risky as it sounded, training in another world might not be a bad idea. No doubt new powers would be granted. Hence, you would become much more stronger.

Soul Society…

Actually, Sakura was thinking whether or not she should accept their offer.

Yes, Sakura was having some thoughts of undergoing Shinigami training. She had been thinking about it over and over and now she got less than five hours to make a definite decision. Sure that she loved her village, but…

Staying here wouldn't do her any good. Currently as a Chuunin medic ninja, her skills had grown considerably higher compared to her days of being a Genin. However, lately her progressed seemed to be coming to a halt and she wouldn't want that.

She was getting sick and tired of being ignored, sick and tired of not being acknowledged, sick and tired of her lack of training.

If she went to Soul Society, she would have a proper training for sure. Stay there possibly for years, away from Konoha village, away from pain. But she would miss her friends. She would miss undergo ninja trainings and many more. If somehow she successfully became a Shinigami, she would surely come back to Konoha and protect the village.

By then, everyone would acknowledge her.

Besides, deep down she felt something that really urged her to go. She didn't know what it was, but from the beginning when she read the first page of the book in the library, she strongly felt an unknown and faint connection to the author.

But maybe that was just her.

Sakura had made up her mind.

She looked at the Team 7 picture on the table next to her bed. She grabbed it and stared at it for a while. She missed the old days back when they were still Genins. But now things had changed so much ever since Sasuke left the village.

"Sasuke-kun… You have no idea how much you hurt both Naruto and I after you left."

Sakura glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. Less than five hours left before the Shinigami would come to escort the selected ninjas to Soul Society. She wondered who else wanted to go. Or, who Tsunade had picked to go on this mission.

Sakura replaced the picture before she got up and made her bed. She then retrieved her backpack and began to pack her clothings and essential needs. Half an hour later, she tore a small paper and scribbled something on it. She placed the note on her bed.

She grabbed the Team 7 picture once more. Strange, she didn't shed a tear. She felt sad but she didn't cry… and she was glad of it. The kunoichi pressed her lips to the glass momentarily and then slowly she faced the picture down onto the table. She then slid her backpack onto her shoulders and took one last glance around her room before she stepped out.

X

Present in Tsunade's office were Shizune, Kakashi and six more people. These six shinobis consisted of an ANBU, three Jounins and two Chuunins. They were selected after a very quick yet properly-planned meeting between the high authorities of the village. The meeting resulted in an immediate dispatch of a few shinobis who each went to several areas, clans and departments within Konoha village to relay the news and request by the Shinigamis yesterday. Anyone who would willingly go and take the offer was to report themselves to the Hokage's office in less than twenty-four hours.

That was plan A.

Plan B was that if plan A failed and that no one wanted to volunteer, Tsunade would personally pick the ninjas herself. One of them had been Kakashi although she was sort of unwilling to let him go because he was one of the elite ninjas around, she believed that he had the skills to undergo the extraordinary training quicker and so would be returning to the village in a short amount of time. But how much did she know about Soul Society and Shinigamis that could qualify her to make such assumptions?

In the end, they went for plan A and were glad that it worked out. Kakashi got to stay.

"Listen," Tsunade began. She moved her eyes down to the paper on her desk. "This is the letter that arrived to me not long after the Shinigamis left yesterday. One of them seemed to have sent it here. I'm going to brief you on how your life will be like in that world… What is it called again? Oh right, Soul Society. People who live here are not the same as us. They're completely different. We're humans but they are souls. This place is where you're supposed to go when you die as it was stated here. But I don't know. It may be just a parallel universe that is not connected to ours.

Upon your arrival there, you will settle in. They will provide you your own home and then you will be admitted to Spiritual Arts Academy where you will learn all the basics and where your abilities will be observed on weekly basis I believe. Your progress will be monitored throughout your stay in the academy. They will make sure that you all have proper training to become a Shinigami."

"You are aware that this training may take years, right? Have you all thought it over? Is this your final decision?" Tsunade continued further.

"Yes, hokage-sama!"

"It's my own decision to go."

"Yes!"

"I want to protect this village. Yes!"

"Understood, Hokage-sama. I'm in!"

"Definitely."

Tsunade nodded encouragingly to all of them. And then, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Tsunade invited. All eyes widened in curiosity once they saw Haruno Sakura coming into the room.

"Sakura, what is it?" Tsunade asked her subordinate. She noticed the backpack Sakura was carrying and raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Shishou, I'd like to go to Soul Society as well," Sakura stated firmly.

Tsunade, Shizune and Kakashi were momentarily stunned. The hokage studied her subordinate's expression for a while before she said, "Sakura… Are you sure about this?"

Sakura took in a deep breath. She exhaled slowly. "Yes, I'm positive. I won't go back on my words."

Kakashi watched Sakura with concern. He had a sudden urge to stop her but he held back. Who was he to do that? He was just her sensei. How could he change his pupil's decision and break her determination? No, he knew Sakura very well. She was not that easy to give up. Though her skills were no match for Naruto, they both have fierce determination.

"I accept the Shinigami's offer and decided with all my heart that I will do my best training in Soul Society. I shall not withdraw. Once I'm done, I'll come back and protect the village," Sakura said calmly. She didn't think that long sentence was necessary. But she wanted to show to her master that she was adamant and determined to do this. And just for once, she didn't want her request for a mission to be rejected again.

Tsunade drew in a long breath.

"Everyone else, please leave the room. I need to talk to Sakura privately."

Everyone else complied. One by one, they left the room. Except for Kakashi. Tsunade noticed, but she let him be.

"But Sakura-"

"Tsunade-sama, please."

"What made you want to go?"

"I realize… I lack in so many things. I want to improve my skills and so undergoing a special training would help me further increase my capabilities."

Tsunade and Kakashi silently observed their pupil for a moment.

"You're a qualified medic ninja. And you're highly skilled at medical ninjutsu."

"I know that. It's all thanks to you, Tsunade-sama. But still, I want to go." Sakura looked at Tsunade with determination in her eyes. "Please, let me go."

"What about your goal? Have you let go of your dreams to bring Uchiha Sasuke back?" Tsunade asked further and upon hearing this, Kakashi waited expectantly for Sakura to answer.

Sakura inhaled deeply before she exhaled slowly, trying to quell her sadness at the mention of her beloved ex-teammate. She said, "I haven't given up on him. My dream is for the three of us, Naruto, Sasuke and I, to be able to be teammates again and laugh together like the old times. But I also have a bigger dream…which is to be of no obstacle to my dear comrades. I want to fight alongside my teammates equally. That's my big goal."

Finally, Tsunade closed her eyes, nodded and surrendered. She admitted silently that she regretted now to have one less skillful medic ninja in her village once Sakura was gone.

"Alright Sakura, I understand. You can go… Good luck," Tsunade said. With a smile, Sakura bowed and thanked her master. Sakura turned around to meet Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi stepped closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder. He gave a gentle squeeze. His eyes said something. And he didn't have to say it aloud for Sakura to understand.

_I'm sorry._

_"Take care over there."_

Sakura closed her eyes. She put a hand on top of his and slowly removed it from her shoulder.

"See you, sensei."

With that said, she exited the Hokage's office.

X

Sakura was on her way to the Konohagakure gate when she saw Sai walking the opposite way towards her. She glanced at her watch.

"_There's_ _still about an hour left before the Shinigamis come. I think I should spend a little more time here before I go." _

Sai stopped in front of Sakura. He noticed her backpack.

"Are you going on a mission?" he asked. Sakura did not answer that question.

"Let's go to Ichiraku's. It's on me." Sakura offered. Sai just nodded and followed her. They entered the stand and ordered ramen. Sakura put down her backpack under her chair. She placed her chin on top of her fingers as her elbows rested on the table.

"Sai, I'm going to Soul Society. Will you please tell Naruto later? Just in case if I don't see him after this."

The artist stopped his spoon midway to his mouth and stared at Sakura in surprise.

"Soul Society? Sakura… Are you sure?"

"Yes." _Geez, I know what I'm doing._

"… Don't you think you should see Naruto before you go?"

"Nah, I bet he would stop me."

"But still-"

Sakura cut in, "And besides, the Shinigamis will arrive soon. I've to be ready."

Sai sighed. He gave up in convincing his teammate and so he ate his ramen while still contemplating about his comrade's situation. His kind of lost his appetite by now but he kept eating, knowing that it was Sakura's treat. They ate in silence. Sakura savored the taste, taking her time to finish the food. She knew that this might be the last ramen she would eat before she left for Soul Society.

Did the place serve tasty ramen like the Ichiraku's? She didn't think so. Once Sai and Sakura finished their meal, Sakura paid the bill and they headed out.

Sai decided to walk Sakura to the gates to see her off. Sakura played along with it, noting how Sai had been a good friend lately.

Sakura glanced at her watch. Less than half an hour left before the Shinigami would arrive. Sakura's heartbeat began to race. She was neither afraid nor hesitating, but she just wondered how her life would be like in Soul Society. She pushed those thoughts away when she realized that Sai and her had arrived at the gates.

"This is it… the Konohagakure gate… the last place I'm gonna be at before I go," Sakura spoke in a low voice. Sai turned to Sakura.

"Um…Sakura."

"Yes, Sai?"

"I read in a book that you should say good luck whenever your friend is departing or something like that… so, good luck and… Take care." He said and grinned hesitantly. Sakura hadn't expected that coming from him but she smiled at him. A genuine smile. She tried hiding her blush so she looked away.

"Thanks, Sai," she said and put a hand on his shoulder. "Say hi to Yamato-taichou for me when he gets back. He's still on a mission, right?"

Sai nodded. Sakura let go of her hand and they stared at each other for a while until someone interrupted them.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura sighed. It was Naruto. She didn't turn around and Naruto appeared in front of her so Sai was forced to step back. Naruto's face was holding a mixture of confused, worried, sad and angry look.

"Hey Naruto…," Sakura greeted casually.

"Sakura-chan, I heard about it. Please say it isn't so."

Sakura smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry Naruto but I really have to go. I'll miss you guys."

"But Sakura-chan... What if I'll never see you again?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "What are you talking about? Surely I'll come back... Even if it's gonna takes years…"

Naruto didn't say anything. He stared at her in disbelief. "You really want this, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura nodded. Finally, Naruto surrendered. If he could, he would go with her to Soul Society. But he knew that it was impossible for him. He had other priorities in Konoha village. Sure he loved Sakura, but he couldn't go with her to stay by her side because of the one precious promise he had made to her.

Which was to bring Uchiha Sasuke back.

"I understand, Sakura-chan."

Suddenly, Tsunade and the six selected Shinobis appeared at the Konohagakure gate. Tsunade saw her subordinate and gestured her to come closer to the group.

"Sakura."

Sakura was about to join them when Naruto grabbed her wrist. Sakura widened her eyes in shock.

"Take care, Sakura-chan," he said and made a small smile. Sakura smiled back and nodded.

"Goodbye, Naruto, Sai."

Both of her teammates nodded as they watched Sakura's retreating back. Several moments later, sliding doors appeared out of nowhere. It opened to reveal two Shinigamis. One had a strawberry-blonde hair, a woman Sakura recognized as one of the Shinigamis that had come yesterday. The other one was a silver-haired boy and was shorter than the woman. He wore a white haori over his black Shinigami clothing and he had a green sash around his shoulder that held his sword behind him.

"We're here to escort the selected Shinobis to Soul Society as promised. So are they all?" Hitsugaya Toushiro asked referring to the seven ninjas standing before the Hokage.

"Yes, these people will be going with you." Tsunade said and then turned to them. "So good luck once again and have a safe journey."

All of them, including Sakura, nodded in determination. Tsunade turned to her apprentice. She observed Sakura's calm face before she placed a hand on the pink-haired kunoichi's shoulder.

"Sakura-chan!" All heads turned to Naruto immediately.

"While you're in Soul Society, I'll train hard and I'll definitely bring Sasuke back! I promise that. And when you come back, let's start our team over!" Naruto said aloud. He grinned and made a fist in front of his chest, indicating his great resolve. Sakura was touched by his words. She smiled.

"Thank you, Naruto."

Sai smiled at her and put a hand up to make a small wave. Sakura waved back.

"Let's go now," Toushiro said later. With that, the tenth division Captain, his lieutenant and the seven shinobis entered the sliding doors. Naruto, Sai and Tsunade stared at their retreating backs until the door completely disappeared.

X

**One month later.**

**Seireitei, Soul Society.**

It had been a month ever since Sakura left Konoha village and stayed in Soul Society. Upon her arrival, she had been admitted to the Spiritual Arts Academy, where she discovered about reiatsu and was taught more on how to control and make use of it. Sakura had always been great at chakra control. Hence, she didn't have much trouble in the area.

Sakura had memorized all the incantations, both hadou and bakudou, so quickly in such a small amount of time. Due to her perfect chakra control, she was able to activate the spells correctly and easily. Compared to the other six Shinobis, she progressed very well. She even scored excellent marks in tests, garnering positive attentions from everyone, including the teachers.

"As expected of you, Sakura-chan. You're intelligent. I once heard from Iruka that you're one of the brightest students back in the Ninja Academy," A fellow Chuunin comrade had told her once during class after they had been given their test papers back.

Although Sakura was good at incantations, she had to aim right. That was her weakness at the moment. She still had to improve her aiming. So, she trained everyday. And she loved it. It had been a while since she did that. There were no regrets in coming here.

Standing on the Shinigami Academy training field, in her academy's uniform which consisted of white kimono and red hakama, Sakura closed her eyes and extended her arms out.

She was standing a few metres away from large stone walls which had a small black spot on each one of them. That spot was her target, and she must hit it right.

Also a few metres away stood five Shinigamis from Gotei 13. Ukitake, Rukia, Renji, Toushiro and Rangiku came to see Sakura and observe her abilities.

"I heard that she did very well in the Academy," Rukia said.

Ukitake nodded. "Yes, she's the one people have been talking about."

"What is she a genius?" Renji questioned.

"Well, not quite. She came from the Shinobi world. That's one. And then she excels in her exams," Ukitake explained. The Shinigamis continued to watch Sakura who was still concentrating on her reiatsu.

"What's her name again?" Renji asked.

"Haruno Sakura," Ukitake answered.

Rangiku smiled. "Haruno Sakura, eh? That name really suits her."

Toushiro observed silently the pink-haired kunoichi with his arms crossed over his chest. Suddenly, Sakura opened her eyes and began to speak.

"Hadou no. four: byakurai!"

A bolt of lightning fired from Sakura's forefinger. Unfortunately, it didn't hit the target but instead it hit a few inches away from the black spot. Sakura closed her eyes again. "_It's okay. Just stay calm and concentrate more." _Sakura reassured herself.

"She missed." Renji stated.

"She might be intelligent, but I can tell that her combat skills need improvement," Toushiro said. Then, Shuuhei appeared before the Shinigamis with a paper in his hand.

"Ukitake-taichou, here's the report you wanted me to get," he said and handed the paper to Ukitake. The thirteenth Division Captain took it and began to read through.

"What's that?" Toushiro asked.

"It's Haruno Sakura's profile they got from the Hokage," Shuuhei answered.

"Who do you mean by 'they'?" Rukia asked.

"Just some Shinigamis who went to the Shinobi world a few days ago to get a copy of the seven ninjas' profiles." Ukitake answered as his eyes scanned through the paper.

Back at the training field, Sakura opened her eyes.

_"This is it!" _

"Hadou no. 4: byakurai!" she fired another bolt of lightning and this time, it went directly to the black spot and hit it. All eyes turned toward Sakura at once.

"Wow, she got it," Shuuhei said, amazed.

"Wow," Ukitake muttered but his eyes were on the paper.

"What is it, Ukitake-taichou?" Rukia asked. Ukitake then lifted his gaze and looked in the direction where Sakura was.

"According to her profile, she has a super inhuman strength, excellent healing abilities and she can also dispel illusions."

Sakura proceeded to the next stone wall and read an incantation. "Ye Lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hadou no. 31: shakkaho!" A red ball of energy flew and hit through the black spot. All eyes widened. Sakura had perfected her aiming.

"_**Shannaro! We did it!**__" _Inner-Sakura exclaimed.

_"The incantation was a pain though. How the hell am I going to finish saying it before my enemy attacks me?"_

"Haruno-san!" Ukitake called. Sakura turned towards the Shinigami.

"Yes, sir!" Sakura replied and went towards where the Shinigamis were. She bowed before them, showing her respect to the Shinigamis whom she recognized as the seated officiers of Gotei 13.

"Well done, Haruno-san. I see you've improved your aiming," Ukitake said. He glanced at the rest of the Shinigamis beside him. "Oh, let us introduce ourselves first."

Sakura felt excited now that they seemed to have taken interest in her. After all, some of the Shinigamis standing in front of her now were Captains of the Gotei 13. She had learned so much during her time in Soul Society about this organization.

"I'm Ukitake Jushiro, Captain of the 13th division squad and this is Kuchiki Rukia… She's from my squad too." Ukitake said and pointed to Rukia. Rukia smiled and said, "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Hisagi Shuuhei, Lieutenant of the 9th Division squad," Shuuhei said. Sakura studied his features for a brief moment. At first glance, he looked like a punk. But the tone he used when he spoke came out very calm and composed. Not to mention he looked quite handsome as well.

"Abarai Renji, Lieutenant of the 6th Division… Nice to meet you," told the red-haired Shinigami. Sakura then turned to Toushiro and Rangiku.

"I'm Matsumoto Rangiku, Lieutenant of the 10th Division squad!" Rangiku said and waved at her happily. "And this is my captain, Hitsugaya Toushiro," she pointed at Toushiro.

"Aa." Toushiro said simply.

"_Wow, all of them are Captains and Lieutenants," _Sakura thought. _"... and that silver-haired guy is a Captain?"_

_**"He's cute, eh?" **_Sakura ignored her inner. Even though she did agree to her on that.

Suddenly, a Shinigami came and announced that several hollows had appeared in Karakura town in the human world. Yamamoto had told him to pass on the message that at least two Shinigamis were to help Kurosaki Ichigo in defeating the hollows. He also added that Sakura were to go with them.

"Eh, me?" Sakura asked, widening her eyes in shock. At the same time, she felt intrigued about this Human world. She had studied about it in the Academy and had been amazed to have discovered that there was a world where everyone was just normal human beings, but very different from the Shinobi world.

Ukitake turned to Sakura and said, "I believe he has given you your first mission. You should be happy because only certain people from the Academy are able to go on missions."

"Well, I want to go! Taichouuu, can I?" Rangiku requested, giving Toushiro her puppy-dog eyes.

"Matsumoto, you haven't even finished your work yet."

"Aww, please! I'll finish them when I get back. Ne ne, taichou?"

Sakura watched the two with an amused expression. The young Captain sighed as he finally allowed his Lieutenant to go. But his annoyed expression didn't change. He seemed to be very mature despite his age.

"R-Rangiku-san, in that case... I'll go as well," Shuuhei said.

Rangiku grinned. "Alright let's go!"

X

Karakura Town, Human world.

The three arrived in Karakura town with the help of the hell butterfly. Sakura observed her surroundings. Everything looked more advanced than Konoha village; the buildings, roads, gardens. In fact, this place was way more developed than any of the hidden villages in the Shinobi world. Sakura stopped her thoughts when they spotted hollows a few blocks down.

"Over there, let's go!" Shuuhei said and pointed ahead.

Sakura thought for a while. "_If I defeated a hollow on my own… Let me lure one of them… or two of them to another place." _

So Sakura concentrated chakra to her feet and went ahead of Shuuhei and Rangiku. The two Shinigamis were taken aback by Sakura's sudden disappearance.

"Haruno-san, wait!" Shuuhei called out but Sakura was already gone. Both the Lieutenants would have chased after her if it weren't for the hollows surrounding them.

"This is unusual. Hollows rarely come in large numbers," Rangiku stated. Both Lieutenants took out their Zanpakutou and began to fight.

Meanwhile, Sakura already had two hollows chasing after her. She stopped when they reached a large, empty field. She turned towards the hollows and read an incantation.

"Bakudou no. 4: hainawa!" One of the hollows' arms got entangled by an energy rope. It struggled. The other hollow charged at Sakura but she punched the ground with a large amount of chakra that created a massive crack. The hollow fell into them.

Sakura turned to the bounded hollow.

"Hadou no. 4: byakurai!" Sakura fired a bolt of lightning to the hollow but it dodged the attack. It then managed to break the energy rope. Sakura gasped. The hollow was now angry. It sent Sakura flying a few metres away, hitting tress in the process. Sakura groaned. She got up slowly and performed another incantation.

"Ye Lord! Mask of flesh and bone, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws! Hadou no. 33: soukatsui!"

A blue spiritual energy burst and fired at the hollow. This time, it got the hollow by the arm and it collapsed onto the ground but wasn't dead yet. Sakura panted. She was about to heal her injuries when the other hollow came back up from the huge crater and grabbed her by surprise. It squeezed her body with its enormous hand until she choked. It eventually dropped her and she hit her head.

Sakura groaned in pain but before she could pass out, she managed to say weakly, "Bakudou no.1: sai!"

The hollow's arm got locked behind its back. It struggled." _That should hold it in a while." _

Sakura fell unconscious.

X

"Let's hurry! She might be in trouble!" Shuuhei said as he and Rangiku ran, trying to search for Sakura's reiatsu. They managed to defeat all of the hollows that had cornered them earlier.

"That was strange. Why did she go on her own?" Rangiku questioned. Shuuhei just shrugged. Then, a few more hollows appeared before them.

"This isn't good," Shuuhei sighed.

"We'll make this quick. We have to save Haruno-san," Rangiku said. They then fought again.

X

"_**Hey, wake up. Wake up." **_

_**Sakura opened her eyes slowly. However, the pain in her head didn't allow her to do so. So she closed her eyes again. **_

_**"I said wake up, Haruno Sakura!" The voice was stern. Sakura fought the pain in her head and slowly she healed herself. She opened her eyes because she was curious about whose voice that was calling her. When she finally stood on her feet, she was greeted by an unfamiliar surrounding. Cherry blossom petals were everywhere below her. But there were no trees at all. They sky was plain white. Not to mention the place was very bright too. **_

_**When she turned around, to her surprise, there was a young lady standing a few metres away, staring at her with her arms crossed over her chest. She had a short pink hair and piercing crimson eyes. She was wearing a white dress. She also had wings made up of cherry blossom petals. **_

_**Strange...**_

'_**Is that an angel? Oh no. Please don't tell me I'm dead!' Sakura thought. The lady in front of her almost laughed. She seemed to have read Sakura's mind. **_

_**"I'm not an angel, Haruno Sakura. I'm a part of you." **_

_**Sakura stood still in her place, confused. **_

_**"What do you mean?" Sakura asked. The young lady didn't answer that question. Instead, she asked another question.**_

_**"Haruno Sakura, what is your goal?" **_

_**At the mention of goal, Sakura instantly became serious. "I want to be stronger. I want to protect whoever I care for. I want to be acknowledged. But most importantly, I need power to achieve all these goals." **_

_**The young lady in front of her closed her eyes. "Your goals are pure. You have a great determination, Haruno Sakura." **_

_**There was silence for a while. **_

_**"Haruno Sakura, please believe in me. I am a part of you. I am your power. Together, we'll be strong. Just believe in me." **_

_**She looked Sakura in the eyes. They were serious and full of determination. **_

_**"I believe in you…" **_

_**The girl smiled. "Can you guess my name? The surroundings will help you." **_

_**Sakura thought for a while and looked around her. **_

_**'Everything here is bright… full of light... full of cherry blossoms…' Sakura then studied the lady's features. 'Those wings…' **_

_**"Wings of Light." Sakura muttered under her breath. **_

_**The young lady kept on staring at Sakura, waiting for the next words.**_

_**"Hikari no Tsubasa," Sakura said finally. She was very confident about it as well.**_

"_**I believe in you, Hikari no Tsubasa." Sakura said again. Hikari no Tsubasa held out her arms and came closer to Sakura. She put her arms loosely around Sakura's neck. **_

_**"Haruno Sakura, thank you. Together, we will achieve your goal. I, Hikari no Tsubasa, am your Zanpakutou." **_

_**Sakura closed her eyes and the scene around her brightened before everything faded.**_

X

"She's over there! I can feel her reiatsu!" Rangiku said pointing to a field hiding behind large trees.

"Let's go." Shuuhei said and they rushed towards the mentioned area. The two hollows were back onto their feet and were ready to attack Sakura when all of the sudden, she was engulfed in a light full of cherry blossom petals. The hollows were forced to stay back. The light then eventually faded, and fog could be seen surrounding the place where Sakura had been lying around.

Shuuhei and Rangiku arrived at the scene and something caught them by surprise. Two hollows were suddenly cut into half by a powerful Zanpakutou. The hollows cried in pain before turning into spirit particles.

Both Shuuhei and Rangiku tried to see through the thick fog to find out who had done that. Later, a figure appeared amidst the fog. Slowly, it came out the same time the fog was disappearing.

The person stopped moving. The Lieutenants' eyes widened in shock. There, stood in front of them, was a person in a Shinigami outfit holding a Zanpakutou. The Zanpakutou's blade was long, shiny and silver-coloured. The handle of the Zanpakutou was coloured in black and a series of cherry blossom petals were tied to its end. The Shinigami was actually...

"Haruno-san…" Rangiku muttered.

**-End of Chapter 2-**

* * *

**Next Chapter: Shock! Promotion to Two Division Squads.**

**Please note:**

**Hikari no Tsubasa – Wings of Light.**

**A/N: I'm sorry for the late update. I was having my exams and now they're over. I'll try to update twice a week from now on. Reviews are appreciated.**


	3. Shock! Promotion to 2 Division squads

**From Two Different Dimensions**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.**

**Chapter 3: Shock! Promotion to 2 Division Squads.**

* * *

"Haruno-san…" Rangiku muttered.

Sakura came out of the smoke completely. She brought up her Zanpakutou and stared at it in awe. "_I'm a Shinigami…" _

Shuuhei and Rangiku were dumbstruck at the sight of Sakura. They couldn't believe that a person who had just entered the Shinigami Academy a month ago could obtain Shinigamis powers now! Sakura put her Zanpakutou to the pink sash tied around her waist. She turned to look at Shuuhei and Rangiku. Her expression were no less different than theirs.

"I… How did I…?" Sakura stuttered.

Returning to his composed self, Shuuhei approached Sakura and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Let's go back to Soul Society first. Our job is done here. Now, get back into your real body."

"_Real body?"_ Sakura was confused. Shuuhei pointed a finger behind Sakura and she turned around. Sakura's eyes almost went out of their sockets when she saw her body in the Academy uniform lying on the ground where she was previously beaten. She then remembered what she had learned in Soul Society.

**_Only dead people who have powers will become a Shinigami._**

"Oh no! Am I dead?!" Sakura began to panic. Shuuhei chuckled. "No, you aren't dead yet. Don't worry. That is why I told you to get back into your body," he reassured her. Sakura sighed in relief. She then remembered again that right now she was only in her soul form. She quickly moved towards her body and lowered her form to it. Later, she was in her real body again. She got up and healed her injuries.

"Impressive healing abilities," Rangiku commented. Sakura didn't say anything as she was too exhausted. After everything was settled, they went back to Soul Society.

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society.**

All of the Gotei 13 Captains, except Mayuri, Toushiro, Komamura and Kenpachi, were in the meeting hall. Sakura, Rangiku and Shuuhei who just came back from the Living world now stood in front of Captain-Commander Yamamoto. The said Lieutenants reported the incident that took place in Karakura town including Sakura's newfound powers, to Captain Yamamoto.

"If what you just said is true, then…" Captain Yamamoto looked at Ukitake. "Yes, sir," Ukitake said and handed something to Sakura.

"Haruno-san, this is a badge. It is actually a license for certain Shinigami to hunt down hollows officially anywhere except Soul Society. I'll give this to you for future usage. Maybe when you go back to your world and a hollow appeared, you can change into your Shinigami form and defeat the hollow. But right now, use it to show your Shinigami form in front of all of us," Ukitake explained. Sakura took the badge from Ukitake's hand.

She observed it for a while. It had the size of a fist and had two red buttons which looked like eyes. She pressed it to her chest and later came out Sakura in her Shinigami form. Everyone in the room was amazed. "Hm, according to Hisagi's and Matsumoto's report, you defeated two hollows on your own. So now I think it is right to promote you straight away to the Gotei 13. In this case, you may return to your world earlier than usual. However, you must stay here longer until we are really sure of your condition." Everyone nodded in agreement. Sakura was getting excited. She had never expected to be one of the Gotei 13 officers this early. Sakura waited to hear which division squad she will join. After few minutes of discussion among the Shinigamis, the Captain Commander had decided.

"Haruno Sakura, I shall appoint you to the 10th Division squad," Captain Yamamoto announced. Shuuhei pouted slightly while Rangiku immediately hugged Sakura from the back. "Alright! Haruno-san, you're in the same squad as me!" Sakura was surprised by her action but she was slightly happy to be in the same squad as Rangiku, the only person who was very friendly with her as of now. Captain Yamamoto cleared his throat.

"However Haruno-san, I heard that you have healing abilities which is much different from ours here. It would be a shame if you didn't use that ability here. So…" Sakura gulped. _"What is he going to do? Change my squad division?" _Yamamoto seemed to be thoughtful for a while. "…I'm going to have to appoint you to the 4th Division squad **as well****," **he finished. Sakura's eyes widened.

X

**Konoha Village, Shinobi World.**

**Back to a few days after Sakura's departure. **

Naruto sighed heavily as he sat down on the bench near the Konohagakure gate. He stared up at the sky. It had been days after Sakura left, and during those days, Naruto did nothing. He didn't train because Kakashi went out on a mission. Naruto had gotten really bored that there was no one to hang around with. "Maybe this is how Sakura-chan had felt…" he said in a low voice. A pang of guilt stroke him. Then, he realized something. He got up and disappeared.

"WHAT?!"

Shikamaru and Chouji covered their ears with the palm of their hands. Their blonde teammate sure was loud. "Ino, don't you realized you just shouted in front of the Hokage?" Shikamaru stated sternly. Ino realized what she had done and was embarrassed. She bowed to the Hokage immediately. "I'm sorry Hokage-sama. It's just that Sakura… I didn't expect… I just got home from mission… Sakura left… a monster attack… I…I'm confused!" Ino held her head. Her mind seemed to be spinning. Tsunade closed her eyes.

"Calm down, Ino. Tsunade-sama already told us everything that had happened while we were away on a mission. Let's go home," Chouji said. So the team exited the hokage's office after they gave report about their mission.

As Ino was on her way to her house, she thought, _"Why did you have to go, Sakura? Geez!"_ Then, she decided to take a look at Sakura's home. So she turned on her heels and went in the direction of Sakura's home.

Ino was surprised to see Naruto, who was about to enter Sakura's house by the main door.

"Naruto, what are you doing?!"

"Ino, keep it down! I just wanted to check out…"

"How did you open the door? Wasn't it locked?"

Naruto shook his head. "It seems Sakura-chan had forgotten to lock it."

Ino rolled her eyes at her best friend's carelessness. "Naruto, I'm going in too,"

Naruto just nodded and motioned her to follow him. They entered Sakura's bedroom to find it very clean and everything was tidied up. Naruto saw a picture frame that was faced down. He grabbed it and was surprised to find out that it was the Team 7 picture.

Outside, Sai was just passing by when he saw the door of Sakura's home was opened widely. He became curious so he entered the house.

Sai went upstairs and came into Sakura's bedroom to find Naruto and Ino there. Both blondes startled at his presence.

"Sai-kun, what are you doing here?" Ino questioned in surprise.

"I was afraid that Sakura's house was robbed or something…because I saw the door opened," Sai said. Ino rolled her eyes. Sai turned towards Naruto who was still staring at the Team 7 picture.

"How could she have not brought this with her?" Naruto spoke in a sad voice. Ino then saw a note on Sakura's bed. She took it and read what it said. It had Sakura's handwriting.

"Naruto, look at this," Ino said. Naruto came to her. Sai followed.

"_I feel lonely here. Soul Society seems to be the right place for me at the moment…"_

Ino's and Naruto's face saddened.

_"First Sasuke…And now Sakura-chan…" _Naruto sighed heavily. Sai moved towards Sakura's study table. He saw a book which had the title 'Different Dimension'. He then recalled that it was the book that Sakura had read in the library.

"Sai, that book… let me see it." Naruto snatched the book from Sai's hands and read the first page.

"Hey, isn't this the book that Tsunade-no-baachan's been looking for?" Naruto asked.

"I believe it is. She read that book in the library yesterday. She must have forgotten to put it back," Sai explained.

"Come on, let's go to Tsunade-sama and give her this book," Ino said. The other two males nodded. They eventually left Sakura's home and locked the door.

At the Hokage mansion…

"Have you searched the whole library?" Tsunade asked Shizune while the Hokage was doing paperwork.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama and the book that you're looking for is not there. Someone must've borrowed it or it could be lost…" Shizune replied.

Tsunade slammed a hand on her desk which surprised the dark-haired woman. The hokage said, "I will not accept that! The book must be found at all cost!"

Then, there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Tsunade said. Naruto, Sai and Ino entered the office.

"What is it? I'm busy right now," Tsunade asked.

"Tsunade-no-baachan, we found the book that you're looking for. Here it is." Naruto handed the book to Tsunade.

"…Where-"

"We found it in Sakura's home," Ino cut in.

Tsunade frowned. "Sakura? What were you doing in Sakura's house?"

"Tsunade-no-baachan, there's no need to question us further. We got the book you want, right?" Naruto made a slight grin that softened Tsunade's temper a bit. She sighed. "Thank you, Naruto, Sai and Ino," she said. Later, the three were dismissed.

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society.**

**Back to present time.**

Sakura and Unohana were heading to the 4th Division squad building. Sakura felt happy that she got appointed to a division squad. It was decided that she will be in the 10th Division squad while the 4th… she will be working there as part-time only. Sakura felt relieved.

"We're here, Haruno-san," Unohana said and smiled at Sakura as the two arrived at the 4th squad building where Sakura met Isane the Lieutenant, and Yamada Hanatarou, one of the officers. Unohana introduced Sakura to them and explained everything that had just occurred surrounding her.

"Nice to meet you, Sakura-san. I'm Yamada Hanatarou." Sakura and Hanatarou shook hands.

"So Haruno-san, this is where you'll work from time to time whenever we need your assistance," Unohana said.

"I'm looking forward to it, Unohana-taichou," Sakura said.

"Yamada-san, please escort Haruno-san to the 10th division building. She is expected to start her duties there as soon as possible." Hanatarou agreed and brought Sakura with him to the 10th Division squad building.

X

"Haruno-san!" A cheerful voice was heard from behind Sakura and Hanatarou. They turned around to see Rangiku. "Well, Sakura-san, I think you can just go with her now," Hanatarou said. Sakura thanked him before she ran towards Rangiku.

"I'm so delighted that you're in my squad! We'll get to know more of each other," Rangiku grinned and Sakura smiled.

"Haruno-san-"

"Please, Sakura is just fine, Rangiku-san," Sakura said.

"Oh, really? Okay I'll just call you Sakura then."

They later arrived inside the 10th squad building and stopped outside Toushiro's office. Both females peeked inside the office through the slightly opened door to see him doing paperwork.

"Well, that's the Captain," Rangiku said. Sakura nodded in acknowledgement. Rangiku said again, "He's the youngest Captain here in Soul Society."

"He must be a genius and strong if he's a Captain at that age," Sakura said and Rangiku nodded. "By the way, he doesn't like to be called names other than 'Hitsugaya-taichou'. Just thought I should tell you that before you meet him," Rangiku said and giggled. Sakura nodded in understanding. Rangiku then stepped into the office without knocking.

"Taichou, here's our new officer~" Rangiku said in a sing-sang voice. Toushiro looked up from his paperwork.

"Who?" Toushiro inquired.

Sakura later came in and bowed. Toushiro went wide-eye.

"Taichou, she recently obtained her Shinigami powers in the human world. Captain Yamamoto has approved of that and he assigned her to this squad," Rangiku explained. Toushiro nodded and studied the pink-hair ninja before him.

"I did hear that someone new was going to join this squad. Didn't think it would be one of the ninjas. Welcome, Haruno…" Toushiro seemed to try recalling Sakura's full name.

"…Haruno Sakura," Sakura finished for him. Toushiro nodded again.

"Well then, Haru… I mean Sakura… You should change into a Shinigami outfit. Come with me and I'll give you yours," Rangiku told her. The pink-hair ninja complied and exited the office with Rangiku.

**Fifteen minutes later, **Sakura was back at her apartment and had changed into her Shinigami outfit. The only missing thing was her Zanpakutou. She didn't have it right now since she was in her human form. She watched herself in the full-length mirror and admired her new appearance. All of the sudden, she felt excited. Not that she wasn't excited before but now the excitement was five times greater, she was thinking and anticipating what would come next.

Later on, Sakura was walking around Seireitei when she saw Shuuhei on the opposite direction she was walking in.

"Hi, Haruno-san!" he greeted her. Sakura smiled and greeted back.

"Please Shuuhei-san, Sakura is just fine," Sakura said.

"Oh, ok then... So where are you heading to?" he asked.

"I'm just going for a walk. What about you, Shuuhei-san?"

"I was just wandering around," he said grinning.

So they walked together until Shuuhei had to take another direction as he was called back to the office to do paperwork. Sakura later met a young Shinigami who looked about her age. She had a dark hair tied in a bun.

"Hello, Sakura-san. I'm Hinamori Momo, lieutenant of the 5th division squad. I heard everything about you. So which division squad are you in?" Momo asked in a friendly manner.

"I'm in the 10th division," Sakura told the Shinigami.

"So you're in Hitsugaya-kun's squad," Momo said and smiled.

Momo told Sakura everything about the betrayal of the three Shinigami Captains, who were Aizen, Gin and Tousen. One of them had been the Captain of Momo's squad. She also told Sakura how she admires her Captain so much and was heartbroken when he left. Now, Sakura knew more about the history of Soul Society.

Later, Sakura was walking alone again. But now she was already back at the 10th division squad building. She was about to turn into another hallway when she bumped into someone.

"Ouch!"

Sakura landed on her butt while the other person only stumbled backwards a bit and managed to keep his balance. Sakura looked up. To her surprise, the person she just bumped into was Toushiro.

_"Oh my God, it's Hitsugaya-taichou!" _Sakura got on her feet and apologized to him.

"Haruno, it's alright," Toushiro said. Sakura let out a relief sigh.

"Haruno, can you do me a favour?" he asked.

"What is it, Hitsugaya-taichou?"

"Can you help me with my paperwork? Matsumoto is slacking off again," he said.

"I'll be glad to help," Sakura said with a smile. Both of them went ahead to his office.

"_I wonder how Konoha village is right now…"_

**-End of Chapter 3-**

* * *

**Next Chapter: Party in Seireitei.**

**(A/N: I just wanted to thank you to all who reviewed. :) Next chapter will be up in few days.) **


	4. Party in Seireitei

**From Two Different Dimensions**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.**

**Chapter 4: Party in Seireitei.**

* * *

"Sakura, where are you?" Sakura could hear Rangiku calling for her from outside of Toushiro's office. Sakura closed the book she was reading and replaced it on the bookshelf. Rangiku entered the office shortly after.

"Ah, there you are. I have something to tell you," she said and looked around the room. "Where's taichou?"

Sakura simply shrugged. Rangiku went over to Toushiro's desk and browsed through the piles of papers. "Oh, looks like he finished all his paperwork," she said and grinned.

"What is it that you wanted to tell me, Rangiku-san?" Sakura asked. Rangiku turned to face Sakura.

"Tonight, there will be a party at the Seireitei hall. Everyone is invited. So Sakura, I hope you'll be there," Rangiku explained.

_A party? Wow…_"Sure, Rangiku-san. I'll come," Sakura said.

"Great! See you later!" After that, Rangiku left. Sakura went over to Toushiro's desk and checked some of the papers. "Some of these needed to be signed… Hitsugaya-taichou hasn't signed them yet," she said.

Sakura rushed outside the room hoping to catch up with Rangiku and tell her about the matter. "Rangiku-san, wait-" Once she stepped out, Toushiro was standing in front of her.

"Haruno, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that… you haven't signed those papers yet, taichou. Rangiku-san left just now and I was about to ask her to sign them for you," she said.

"No need to. I'll do it myself," Toushiro said. With that, he entered his office to sign those papers.

"Where were you, taichou?" Sakura asked.

"Meeting," Toushiro answered simply while his eyes were fixed on the papers. Sakura muttered an 'oh'.

"It seems that the 12th division squad hasn't gained any solution to what causes the hollows to enter the Shinobi world," he said. Sakura frowned and stared at the floor beneath her.

"That means… more hollows will continue to invade Shinobi world," Sakura said in a low voice. Toushiro nodded. Sakura sighed.

He looked up from his papers at Sakura. He had finished signing all them. "Hey, there's no need to worry. We'll keep on working hard."

Sakura broke her gaze from the floor. She smiled. "Yeah you're right."

X

Later that night, Sakura was on her way to the Seireitei hall when she saw Rangiku, who was also on her way to the same place.

"Hey Rangiku-san! Wait up!" Sakura called. Rangiku turned around and grinned. "Sakura! Glad you came. Let's get inside shall we?"

Once they arrived, everyone was already there. Some Shinigamis were swaying and dancing on the dance floor and the others were chattering and helping themselves at the buffet table. The music was loud as well.

"Hello there!"

Sakura turned around to see a small girl with short pink hair sitting on a shoulder of a huge man. She was waving at Sakura. The little girl then got onto the floor and walked up to Sakura.

"Wow, we have the same hair colour! I'm Yachiru. What's your name?" Sakura bent down and smiled at the little girl.

"I'm Haruno Sakura."

Yachiru smiled. "Nice to meet you, pinky!"

Sakura twitched at the nickname. Rangiku giggled. "Yachiru likes to give everyone nicknames," Rangiku explained.

Then, the man who was with Yachiru came forward. Sakura looked up.

"Ken-chan! Pinky has a pink hair like mine!" Yachiru said grinning. Kenpachi just stared down at Sakura.

**_"He's scary…"_** Inner-Sakura thought.

Kenpachi smiled evilly and turned to Yachiru. "Let's go and eat," he said.

"Okay! See you later, Pinky!" Yachiru went back onto Kenpachi's shoulder and they disappeared into the crowds.

"Who are they, Rangiku-san?" Sakura asked.

"Captain and Lieutenant of the 11th division squad," Rangiku answered. If Sakura had been drinking, she would have choked.

"No way! Yachiru-chan is a Lieutenant?" Sakura asked in disbelief. Rangiku nodded. "Oh taichou's there! Sakura, I have to go. You have fun, okay?" Sakura was about to protest but Rangiku already left her.

Sakura sighed. Now she was alone. _"Hey what am I saying? I'm new here so I should go around and make friends. Alright, let's see…"_

But then, "Oh hello there."

Sakura startled and turned around. It was Mayuri. **_"Another creepy-looking person."_**

"Uh…oh… hello," Sakura said nervously.

"Hm, I'm the Captain of the 12th division. You know what my squad do? We do researches and Sciences." Sakura nodded slowly.

"I heard about you. You're a ninja from the Shinobi world. I did some research about ninjas and they are truly interesting. So I was thinking if you could be a research project."

**_"Okay, major creepy."_** Sakura began to take a few steps back.

Then, someone held Sakura's wrist and pulled her away with him/her and away from Mayuri. Mayuri simply shrugged. "Hm, I knew she would just run away."

The person who had pulled Sakura kept on dragging her until they reached a corner. "You should stay away from him. He sees someone as nothing but an object for researching." Sakura turned around to see a dark-haired woman wearing glasses.

"I'm Ise Nanao, Lieutenant of the 8th Division squad. I've heard about you, Sakura-san."

"_Oh so I'm popular now?" _Sakura thought. "Nanao-san, thanks for rescuing me back there," Sakura said and laughed sheepishly.

Nanao nodded. "I've been reading books about the Shinobi world so now I'm quite happy to see a ninja who came from there. It's nice to meet you."

Later, a man wearing a straw hat and pink haori went passed them. But he managed to say something referring to Sakura before he left and she had heard him. "Hmm, another beauty in Seireitei."

Sakura blushed at the comment.

"That's my Captain, Kyouraku Shunsui," Nanao told Sakura. The two enjoyed the party together but later they were separated when several normal-seat officers approached Sakura and asked her to dance with them. Sakura just accepted their requests and danced with each one of them.

An hour later, Sakura became exhausted so she took a sip of her lemonade. _"Oh man, I never had that much dance before!" _Then, Shuuhei appeared bseide her.

"Hey, Sakura-san…"

"Shuuhei-san, you're here too! I didn't see you earlier," Sakura put down her empty glass on the table.

"Yeah it's just too crowded here. By the way, are you having fun?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes, it was great! I made new friends too."

Shuuhei nodded slightly. "Uh, Sakura-san, would you like to dance with me?" Shuuhei held out his hand. Sakura stared at it for a while before she took it.

"Sure." So they went to the dance floor and danced together. A table not far away from the dance floor was occupied by Rangiku, who was watching the two. She smiled and thought,

"_Sakura is quite popular with the guys."_ She took a sip of her sake.

X

Outside, Toushiro was a sitting on a bench and staring up at the sky.

"Not the party type eh, Hitsugaya-taichou?"

The voice startled the young captain and he looked up to see Sakura walking towards him. "Haruno…"

Sakura smiled. "You should go in there, taichou. It's fun." Toushiro just shrugged. Sakura sighed. "Wait here, Hitsugaya-taichou. I'll be right back." Toushiro wondered what Sakura was planning as he watched her gone into the building again.

Later, Sakura came back with two glasses of lemonade. "Drink this, taichou. You must be thirsty."

Toushiro took one of the glasses and muttered a 'thanks'. Both of them sat in silence while drinking.

"Why are you out here?" Toushiro asked.

"I just saw you here and I don't like seeing someone being alone while others are having fun. So I decided to accompany you, taichou," Sakura said. Toushiro didn't respond and continued to stare up the sky.

"So tell me about Shinobi world," Toushiro began. He thought that he should break the awkward silence. Sakura was surprised by it. She thought for a while.

"Well, Shinobi world consists of five great countries. They are the Land of Fire, Wind, Earth, Water and Lightning. Konoha village, where I came from, is in the Fire country. For every country, there's a ruler called a Kage. The ruler is the strongest among every ninja in the country. Ninjas train and go on missions most of the time," Sakura explained.

"Do technologies exist there?" Toushiro asked. Sakura nodded. "We have computers, but there're not many of them since they are of no great importance to us ninjas."

Toushiro nodded in understanding.

"There you are!" Both heads turned to the direction of the voice.

"Taichou, Sakura… Get back in there and have fun!" It was Rangiku and she was slightly drunk. Toushiro rolled his eyes and looked away from her. Rangiku frowned. She grabbed Toushiro's and Sakura's wrist and dragged them into the party hall. Toushiro protested.

"Matsumoto, let go!"

"Na-ah… You two are going to dance," Rangiku said. Toushiro and Sakura stared at each other wide-eye.

Before they knew it, Toushiro and Sakura were pushed slightly onto the dance floor. Rangiku smiled.

"Go on! Have fun!" she exclaimed. Toushiro sighed. He held out his hand to Sakura. Sakura was surprised. She didn't expect that Toushiro would just surrender but she gladly took his hand and they began to dance. Rangiku's smile widened.

X

"I'm tired!" Sakura slumped onto a chair at a table and rested her head on it. Also at the table were Shuuhei, Rangiku, Kenpachi and Yachiru. Shuuhei, who was sitting beside Sakura, ruffled her hair a bit. "You danced a lot today, Sakura-san," he said. Sakura nodded slightly and resisted the urge to slap his hand away.

'_Cha! Don't just touch me!'_

"Pinky, dance with me!" Sakura's head shot up immediately. The rest chuckled. Yachiru was standing on the table and she walked towards Sakura.

"Come on Pinky! Let's dance!" Sakura grinned. She could not resist her cuteness.

"Alright come on, Yachiru-chan!" Sakura took Yachiru to the dance floor while Kenpachi, Shuuhei and Rangiku watched in amusement. Yachiru exclaimed…

"Wippeeeee!"

**-End of Chapter 4-**

* * *

**Next chapter: Spending time with you.**

**A/N: I'm sorry if this chapter is too short. Once again, I would like to thank you to all who reviewed. Oh, and some of you wondered what's the pairing of this story. This is a ToushiroxSakura story XD. So there, you know it already. Don't forget to review. :)**


	5. Spending Time With You

**From Two Different Dimensions**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto whereas Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.**

**Chapter 5: Spending time with you.**

* * *

The next day, Toushiro walked down the hallway to his office, planning to finish all the undone paperwork. Once he entered his office, he saw Sakura at his desk and she seemed to be writing something.

"What are you doing, Haruno?" he asked quite surprised. Sakura looked up.

"Morning, Hitsugaya-taichou. I'm doing your paperwork… there are lots of it you know!" Sakura pointed at the piles of papers around her on the desk.

"Matsumoto should do the job. Where is she?" Toushiro demanded.

Sakura just shrugged and continued doing the paperwork. Toushiro went towards his desk. He was about to grab a pencil but it was a bad idea… because at the same time, Sakura was about to grab the same pencil too which resulted in both of them touching hands. Toushiro's hand was on top of hers. Both jerked their hands away immediately.

"S-sorry…" Sakura mumbled. Toushiro didn't respond but proceeded in checking through some papers. His eyes widened.

"That Matsumoto… She was supposed to fill-in these," he said while flipping through the unfinished paperwork. He turned to Sakura.

"Let me see what you've done." Sakura nodded and grabbed the finished paperwork s on her side and handed them to Toushiro. He read through and seemed satisfied at the result.

Later, they took a break. Sakura sat on a couch in the office while Toushiro sat across her.

"So what made you wanted to come here?" he asked all of the sudden. Sakura was surprised by that question. The answer was so obvious.

_"To gain Shinigami powers and protect my village! What else?" _**_"Oh, there is something else…" _**Sakura was taken aback by what Inner-Sakura had just said.

Toushiro was not smart for nothing. He had been looking at Sakura's record and noted important information about her.

According to her record, she was the apprentice of the current Hokage and was specialized in healing abilities. She was among the top medic-ninjas. In fact, she was the best. Her current rank was only Chuunin and she had lots of training she must do before she could advance to Jounin level. So why would the Hokage let her own **apprentice**, who was an excellent medic ninja and also who inherited her powers, go to Soul Society? Toushiro was curious.

Sakura took in deep breath and started awkwardly, "I wanted to try a new living."

Toushiro raised an eyebrow. Sakura bit her lower lip and sighed inwardly. _"Can't believe I'm going to tell my Captain about it." _"Well, uh… I was lonely there, in Konoha. I lack training as I didn't have much of it lately. Shishou was too busy being a Hokage while my team sensei only trains one of my teammates. I really need to train to become strong… strong enough to save my other lost teammate…" Sakura stopped there for a while.

"Other teammate?" Toushiro asked.

"He left and betrayed our village four years ago. He fled to Sound village and became the apprentice of an evil man to gain power for life purposes." Sakura didn't want to go into detail such as telling Orochimaru's name and Sasuke's goal. That had nothing to do with the business going around here in Soul Society.

The word 'betrayed' had Toushiro think back again. He thought about Aizen, Gin and Tousen who had betrayed Soul Society. He sighed and looked at Sakura who continued, "And that teammate of mine is my childhood crush."

Toushiro then remembered the time he went to Konoha village to bring the seven ninjas to Soul Society. A boy with blonde hair had said something to Sakura about bringing someone back. _"Maybe he was talking about the same guy she's telling me now."_

All of the sudden, Sakura's stomach growled so loud that she blushed madly. Her face was almost as red as a tomato.

"Haven't you eaten?" Toushiro asked casually. Sakura shook her head. She didn't eat anything since she got up this morning instead she just went straight to the office and do the paperwork. Toushiro then got up.

"Let's go and get you something to eat," he said. Sakura didn't expect this but just nodded anyway and went with him outside and to somewhere in Seireitei where they could eat. On their way, Sakura recalled about everyone who lived in Soul Society did not feel hungry. They ate and drank but hunger was never a problem.

They arrived at a small restaurant and ordered a small meal. It surprised Sakura that Toushiro also ordered something to eat. She thought he was just going to drop her there and then scram. It was awkward at first when they were eating. Toushiro was sitting across her at their table. If people saw this, they might think that Toushiro and Sakura were on a date… if they wouldn't jump to conclusions of course. Sakura thought about something to break the silence. Then she remembered about what she had been meaning to ask lately. So she decided to ask that question to Toushiro.

"Hitsugaya-taichou, I've been wondering… What's outside Seireitei?" she asked.

"Rukongai, it is the largest place in Soul Society where the dead were sent to and they live there," Toushiro explained. Sakura nodded in understanding. After her plate was empty, she got up and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Toushiro asked.

"To Rukongai. I'm curious about that place," Sakura replied. Toushiro was left confused.

"Wait, Haruno. There are huge, strong walls enclosing Seireitei. The only way to go to Rukongai is to pass the walls," he said. Sakura grinned.

"Why don't I just break down the wall with my inhuman strength?" Toushiro almost smack his face with his palm.

"Kidding, kidding! I'll just convince the gate guardian to let me out for a while." Toushiro sighed. "They won't allow you. Let me go with you. The gate guardian will let you pass only if a Captain is with you." Sakura was surprised again. She just shrugged it away and walked with him to the gates.

X

Rukongai was such a poor city. Everyone stared at both Toushiro and Sakura as the two walked along the streets. Then, they spotted a huge gathering near a house. Curious, Toushiro and Sakura rushed towards the scene.

"What going on?" Toushiro asked one of the people.

"Oh, Captain Shinigami! A man in his middle age got poisoned. A mysterious person had injected a liquid into that man but the bad guy fled the scene after that. Some of the people are chasing after him right now," the person said.

"It has been hours since this happened so I don't think the victim can make it," another person said. After hearing this, Sakura pushed through the crowds in order to see the poisoned man.

"Haruno, where are you going?" Toushiro aksed and pushed through the crowds too.

Sakura had successfully gone into the middle of the crowds and saw a middle-aged man lying helplessly in the arms of a woman on the ground. "Please, somebody help my brother! He was poisoned!" the woman cried. Sakura got onto her knees.

"I'll help him," she said. Toushiro was wondering what she would do. "Lay him on the ground first," Sakura commanded. The woman did as told.

Sakura then tore open the man's shirt and put her hands on his chest. She examined him first. "Please get a bucket and fill it with water," Sakura requested. The woman ran immediately into the house and later came back out with a bucket filled with water. Sakura's hands started to glow green. She pressed her palms on the man's chest and concentrated on her left hand.

_"Dokuniki no Jutsu!" _Then, she lifted her right hand under which followed by black liquids, which were the poison being removed from the man's body.

Everyone watched in amazement, including Toushiro. Removing a poison that had spread throughout a body was such a complex move, but Sakura did it with ease. After all poisons were completely extracted, Sakura release the poisons into the bucket filled with water.

Sakura then smiled at the woman. "Your brother is safe now. Just let him rest for a while."

The woman sighed in relief and helped her brother got onto his feet. "Thank you, Shinigami," the woman said and went into the house with her brother.

_"No need to create an antidote since I removed almost all the poison. The remainder won't kill him since the poison is the least harmful type." _Sakura turned to Toushiro. "Shall we move on?" she asked. Toushiro nodded and both of them walked around the city once more.

"Now I am convinced how good of a healer you are. I'm impressed, Haruno."

"T-thanks, I guess."

They went back to Seireitei a few minutes later and when they entered Toushiro's office, they saw Rangiku on the working desk.

"Ah Matsumoto, you're finally doing your job," Toushiro smirked while Sakura giggled.

"Taichou, Sakura! Where have you been?" Rangiku asked.

"Oh, he's just showing me around Rukongai since I really wanted to see that place," Sakura explained. Rangiku grinned.

"Oh~ So both of you were on a date!"

Sakura blushed.

"No we were not!" Both Toushiro and Sakura said in unison.

X

The next day, Sakura was helping the Shinigamis with the construction of a building. She didn't know what they were building, but it was sure a huge and tall one. Sakura was on the tenth floor. With her inhuman strength, she could carry large and heavy boulders. When she was about to pick one, she wasn't aware of what was behind her…. An open space. There was no wall behind her. So she tripped on the edge of the ground and fell.

_"Oh my god!"_

Below, someone was passing by when he saw Sakura falling. He gasped and instinctively held out his arms to catch her. Sakura finally fell into those arms. She was too afraid that she shut her eyes close and wrapped her arms around her savior's neck.

"Hey…" Sakura opened her eyes just to stare into a pair of large green ones. She gasped and blushed at the closeness then jumped off of him immediately.

"Hitsugaya-taichou!"

"Haruno, you should be careful next time. Who knows what would have happened to you if I wasn't here," Toushiro said. Sakura nodded and put her hands on her chest. She could feel her heartbeat racing faster.

"Haruno, I came to take you to the Shinigami academy. The six ninjas wanted to see you," Toushiro said. Sakura then remembered the other six who joined her here. It had been a long time since last saw them. Sakura looked up at the building that was under construction.

"You can work later, Haruno," Toushiro said. Sakura nodded and performed some handseals.

"Bunshin no Jutsu!" Then, four Sakura clones appeared. Toushiro went wide eye. "Will you guys do the job while I'm gone?" All the four clones nodded and then they disappeared into the building. Sakura turned to Toushiro.

"Let's go, Hitsugaya-taichou."

X

Shuuhei was painting the walls when he saw Sakura coming towards him.

"Hi there, Sakura-san! I didn't know you're helping with the construction as well," he said. Sakura _clone 1_ nodded.

"What can I help with, Shuuhei-san?" she asked. Shuuhei thought for a while.

"How about getting me some more paint? They are on the next floor." Sakura _clone 1 _nodded and disappeared. Later, Sakura _clone 2 _happened to be passing by Shuuhei as well.

"Oh Sakura-san, I see you're back…. Where are the paints?" Shuuhei asked. Sakura _clone 2 _raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

Shuuhei got confused by her response. _"I thought I asked her to get me some paint," _he thought then sighed.

"Never mind… Why don't you just get me another paint brush? This one looks old," he said and pointed at the current brush he was holding.

"Alright, I'll go and search for it," she said and disappeared. Shuuhei shook his head and continued his work.

Shortly after that, Sakura _clone 1_ came back with four buckets of paint in her hands. "Shuuhei-san, I brought you these!" she said smiling. Shuuhei almost fell over. _"What is wrong with her?"_ "Thanks um… where's the brush I asked you to get?" he asked.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "You **only **told me to get some paint….** not **a brush," Sakura _clone 1 _said almost threateningly. Shuuhei gulped and surrendered, "Alright, alright! It's okay! Forget about it."

Then, Sakura _clone 2 _reappeared. "Shuuhei-san, I brought you a paintbrush…. Oh I see what's wrong here." Sakura _clone 1 _and _clone 2 __then_grinned at each other. Shuuhei could have sworn he was hallucinating.

Renji was setting up bricks when he saw Sakura _clone 3 _coming.

"Hi, Renji-san!" 'Sakura' greeted and waved.

"Hi, Sakura-san," he greeted back. Sakura stopped when she was close enough to Renji.

"Hm… can I help you with anything?" she asked.

"Oh not at all... Hmm, wait… How about you help me with setting up these bricks," he said. Sakura looked around.

"Is the cement enough?" the clone asked. Renji then noticed that he had run out of cement.

"Do you want me to get some more for you?"

"Sure, if it doesn't bother you."

"Nah it's okay! I came here to help!" Sakura _clone 3_ said.

"Okay, get me some of those, please," Renji requested. Sakura nodded and disappeared. Later, while Renji was doing his work, Sakura was walking pass him and she was moving a wheelbarrow which contained bricks.

"Ah Sakura-san, where are the cements?" Renji asked. Sakura _clone 4 _stopped her tracks and held a confused expression.

"What are you talking about, Renji-san?" she asked.

"Eh, but I thought you were going to get me some cements!" he exclaimed. Sakura _clone 4_shrugged.

"I only remember to get some bricks for Izuru-kun," she said. Renji narrowed his eyes. _"_

_Darn it, Kira! Did you force her to not get some cement for me and asked her to get you bricks instead?" _Renji dropped his work and went into a random direction.

"Where are you going, Renji-san?"

X

"Kira, there you are!"

"Renji, I've been looking for you!" Both said Shinigamis went up to each other.

"Don't force Sakura-san to get you something when she is supposed to get me cement/bricks!" Both said in unison. Then, they became confused.

"What are you talking about, Renji?"

"Hey, I'm supposed to ask you that question."

"Guys, calm down! Stop arguing please," Sakura_ clone 3 _appeared from behind Kira. She was carrying a sack of cement. Renji's eyes almost bulge out.

"S…Sakura-san, what are you doing here?!" Renji asked in disbelief. Kira sighed.

"If you're here… then, who's the person carrying the bricks?"

"Huh?" Both Kira and Sakura _clone 3 _said in surprise.

"A clone."

All heads turned towards the voice behind Renji. They saw Sakura _clone 4 _carrying bricks with a wheelbarrow. Both Renji and Kira stared at the two Sakura**_s_** and stared at each other…

"What the hell….?!"

Later on, the three Lieutenants learned that ninjas could create clones… after Nanao laughed at them for having shallow knowledge about ninjas.

Toushiro and the real Sakura were now back in the office. Sakura had just spent some time with her fellow ninja acquaintances. They congratulated her for being a Shinigami and they even talked about Konoha a bit. All the six ninjas had progressed well in the academy and they were now trying their hardest to become a Shinigami in a sooner just like Sakura. Screw the 'six-years-of-studying-in-the-academy' law, they needed to become a Shinigami very soon.

Sakura was now helping Toushiro with the paperwork that seemed to be piling even more day by day. Because of that, Sakura had spent most of her time with him…and she surprisingly liked it.

"Haruno, may I ask you a question?" Toushiro asked out of the blue. Sakura nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"Is your pink hair… natural?"

**-End of Chapter 5-**

* * *

**Next Chapter: Konoha under attack.**

**Please note:**

**Dokuniki no Jutsu – Poison extraction no Jutsu.**

**(A/N: I'm happy with all your reviews :D. Keep them coming!**

**About pairings of this story: For now, it'll only be ToushiroxSakura. I'm still working on the other pairings.)**


	6. Konoha Under Attack

**From Two Different Dimensions**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto whereas Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.**

**Chapter 6: Konoha under attack**

* * *

**Konoha Village, Shinobi world**

At the Team 7 usual training grounds, two ninjas were sparring. One was a grey-haired sensei and the other one was a blonde. Every time they train, the blonde was all hyped. But today, he was unusual. He seemed upset and was not concentrating so much. Kakashi noticed this.

"Naruto, if you're not going to focus, I'll end our training now," Kakashi said. Naruto then stood in a normal stance. "Sorry… Kakashi-sensei," Naruto muttered. Kakashi sighed and asked. "What's the matter?" Naruto was silent for a while. "It's Sakura-chan…."

Kakashi had expected this. He put a hand on his student's shoulder.

"Naruto, she chose to go there on her own. I don't know what her true intentions are, but we shouldn't… I mean you shouldn't be worrying about her like this. I don't remember Sakura being this depressed when you left with Jiraiya four years ago." Naruto looked up at Kakashi and grinned. "So you're worrying about Sakura-chan too," Naruto stated.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head. Naruto continued to stare at the ground. "I don't know, Kakashi-sensei… I know that I'm not supposed to be worrying like this. Sakura-chan's not in danger. But something's bothering me…" Naruto tried to find the words that could express his thoughts. He already read the note that Sakura left on her bed.

_I'm lonely and ignored. Soul Society seems to be the place for me…_

Somehow, it felt like Sakura had left because she was neglected and not because she wanted to protect the village. Naruto heaved a sigh. Kakashi stared at him for a few moments. "We'll just continue tomorrow, Naruto," he said and disappeared into a puff of smoke. Naruto found the nearest bench and sat on it. He stared at the clear, blue sky. _"I wonder how she's doing right now?"_ he thought.

A purple-haired kunoichi was not far away from that bench. She spotted Naruto immediately and blushed. "Naruto-kun…" she mumbled as she approached him. Naruto saw her and greeted her. "Oh… hi Hinata."

Hinata began to play with her fingers. "Um… Naruto-kun, h-how are y..you?" she asked.

"I'm fine… Uh Hinata, why don't you sit here for a while," Naruto said and motioned her to sit beside him. Hinata's blush increased but she sat down anyway.

"Long time no see… You just got back from a mission, right?" Naruto said. Hinata nodded slowly.

"I h-heard about the h-hollows and… Sakura," she said. They sat there in silence for a long time. Naruto never left his eyes from the sky. Hinata noticed that Naruto was lost in his own thoughts. She turned to Naruto.

"I-I'm sure she's fine…" she gave him a reassuring smile. Naruto looked at her and he smiled too.

"_Naruto-kun likes Sakura so much…"_

X

Seireitei, Soul Society.

Toushiro came to his office and saw Sakura at his desk doing paperwork… again.

"Haruno, I've always wondered… How come you are good at doing paperwork?" he asked. He had to admit, Sakura had done a good job on his paperwork. Not all was done by her though, because there were some papers that were only supposed to be done by the Captains.

"I'm the Hokage's apprentice. I helped her most of the time with paperwork," Sakura replied. Whenever Tsunade was drunk or fell asleep on her desk, Sakura would take over. Sakura smiled over that thought. Then, Rangiku stormed inside the office.

"Taichou, several hollows had appeared in Konoha village in Shinobi world. You are needed there to take down the hollows. Kuchiki-taichou, Renji and I will be going with you," she said.

Toushiro and Sakura startled. Sakura stopped her work immediately.

_"Oh no… Konoha village!" _Sakura thought. Toushiro left the room immediately. Rangiku faced Sakura.

"Sakura…."

"_Please, please, please let me in! I want to go!" _"You'll be coming with us too," Rangiku said. If it wasn't for the current situation, Sakura would have jumped around the office.

X

"Hinata, tell everyone about this, I'll handle the hollow!" Naruto faced the hollow in front of him. Hinata nodded. "Be careful, Naruto-kun," she said before disappearing. More hollows were then spotted in several areas within the village.

"Kage bunshin no Jutsu!" Several Naruto clones appeared and they charged at the hollow. They battle; throwing kicks and punches until there were only two left- the real Naruto and his clone. The two created Rasengan.

"Rasengan!" Naruto charged at the hollow and attack it with the Rasengan. The hollow cried in pain before it died.

Another hollow appeared behind Naruto. He was about to turn around when someone slashed the hollow into two. Naruto startled and stared wide eye at the person who just appeared before him. The hollow disappeared into spirit particles, transporting its soul to Soul Society. The person who defeated the hollow was wearing a Shinigami outfit. Naruto's eyes widened even more when he saw _her_ face.

"Sakura-chan…."

"Long time no see, Naruto," Sakura said with a smile. Naruto stared at her in disbelief. She was wearing a Shinigami outfit, that would mean she was a…

"Shinigami… Sakura-chan, you're a Shinigami?" Sakura nodded and said, "Unbelievable, right? I thought it would take me years but no."

"Whoa… You're amazing, Sakura-chan… and whoa your katana looks cool too." Naruto said and pointed at Sakura's Zanpakutou which was in her right hand.

"This is called a Zanpakutou," Sakura told him. Naruto let out an 'oh'.

Naruto then looked Sakura in the eye. "Sakura-chan, I wanna know… Why did you decide to leave?"

Sakura's jaw dropped. "Naruto, of course, to protect Konoha-"

"…Then what's the note I found on your bed?" Naruto cut in. Sakura's expression changed.

"Oh you found out."

Naruto nodded solemnly. Sakura sighed. "Naruto, to be honest, I do want to protect this village… But I also needed to go away from here for a while."

Naruto put his hands on Sakura's shoulders. She was surprised by his sudden action.

"Sakura-chan, I just want you to know that I'll never leave you." She smiled.

"Thank you, Naruto."

X

"Shintenshin no Jutsu!" Ino activated her mind-body switch to the hollow in front of her. But it only brought pain to her head. She was down on her knees.

"Ino, does it work?" Shikamaru asked and rushed beside her. Ino clutched her head. "What does it seem like to you?" she said while still clutching her head. Chouji came beside her too. Team 10 looked at the three hollows standing before them.

"This is troublesome…. Kagemane no Jutsu!" Shikamaru's shadow held one of the hollows still. "Chouji, now!" Shikamaru shouted.

"Alright!" Chouji yelled and his right arm increased ten times bigger. Shikamaru released his shadow immediately and Chouji threw a great punch at the hollow that sent it fly a few metres away.

Ino got up and threw several shurikens and kunais at the hollows. They got hit by some of the weapons. She took the opportunity to attack them. Shikamaru and Chouji assisted her.

Team 10 was about to make another attack when Byakuya and Renji arrived. They defeated the hollows immediately with just one swing of their Zanpakutou. Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji could just stare at them in awe.

"They're Shinigamis…" Ino mumbled under her breath.

X

Konoha village was now under attack. Several hollows had appeared and they attacked almost everything. Screams and shouts could be heard throughout the village. Fortunately, shinobis who can see them were strong enough to defeat the hollows.

Toushiro and Rangiku who just arrived in the Shinobi world were now fighting some of the hollows. "We'd better finish off the hollows sooner before the ninjas get more of them," Toushiro said.

"Understood, taichou!" Rangiku replied as she made a swing of her Zanpakutou.

Beings other than the Shinigamis could never purify the souls of the hollows. Attacking and killing the hollows would only completely destroy them instead of sending them to Soul Society or hell. This caused spiritual imbalances by taking many souls out of the process of death and rebirth.

A wave of pain shot through the neck of a certain artist. He was about to turn around to see his attacker instead he got another scratch on the arm. He winced in pain and finally turned around to see a hollow. He took out a scroll and began to draw beasts.

"Chouju Giga!" Sai yelled and the drawn creatures came to live and attacked the hollow which soon was killed.

Sakura arrived at the scene shortly after that. "Sai!"

Sai was surprised to see her. "Sakura-san?"

Sakura wasted no time and sat beside the dark-haired artist. Her hand started to glow green and she healed injured areas on Sai's body.

"Did you… become a Shinigami?" Sai asked as he studied Sakura's appearance. He knew the characteristics of a Shinigami being having to always wear the black kimono and hakama and they also carried a katana with them. Sakura currently matched those characteristics.

Sakura nodded without uttering a word. Sai stared at her for a while.

"It's done," she said as her hand stopped glowing green before she stood up.

"I better go now, Sai," And then Sakura turned to leave.

"Sakura!" Sakura turned around slowly to look at Sai again.

"What is it?" she asked. Sai then remembered the picture he had drawn in the library. But he only shook his head.

"Never mind. I'll see you later," Sai said. Sakura just nodded and continued to run in a different direction.

Sakura ran through the village, defeating every hollow she encountered. But then, she tripped on a huge log and injured her right knee badly and her Zanpakutou flew out of her hand in the process. A hollow appeared before her and was about to attack her. The hollow was coming towards her so fast that she wouldn't have time to heal herself. She closed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth.

Suddenly, Toushiro appeared and defeated the hollow with a swift swing of his Zanpakutou. Sakura immediately healed the bleeding knee and got up. "Hitsugaya-taichou…"

Toushiro turned around to face her. "Are you alright?" Sakura nodded. Then, she saw a long cut on his neck.

"Taichou, your neck!" Sakura said.

"Oh, this…" Toushiro couldn't continue when Sakura swiftly put one hand on his shoulder while the other hand glowed green and healed the cut on his neck.

Toushiro didn't know why, but he liked her gentle touch.

X

Tsunade stood still as she stared out of her large office window into the now calm atmosphere of the village. She was alone. She was awaiting the arrival of Shinigamis when there was a knock on the door. The hokage asked them to come in. Seconds later, Toushiro, Rangiku and Sakura were seen entering the room. Tsunade's eyes widened at the sight of her pink-haired subordinate.

"Shishou…" Sakura began.

"Sakura, how?" Tsunade asked in disbelief. Sakura smiled while sighing.

"We're here to show before you one of your people who went with us to Soul Society a month ago. Haruno Sakura, whom I believe is you subordinate, just attained her Shinigami powers a few days ago. However, we have yet to test her skills so she will have to stay with us longer," Toushiro told the hokage and he continued with his usual calm face, "Though unbelievable it may seem for a human to obtain this power in a short amount of time, she is an excellent student at the Shinigami Academy and her skills are quite impressive."

Sakura blushed slightly at the compliment. Tsunade turned to Sakura and said honestly, "I'm proud of you."

A few moments later, Byakuya and Renji appeared in the office. "We're here to report that all hollows have been taken care off. There's no sign of any of them at the moment." Renji told Tsunade. The hokage nodded and thanked them for their cooperation.

"Our job here is done. We must go back now," Byakuya announced and headed towards the door. Renji, Toushiro and Rangiku began to follow suit. Deep down, Sakura was hesitant but walked towards the exit not far behind them. Once they're outside in the hallway, Sakura stopped in her tracks.

"Wait, Kuchiki-taichou!" Sakura called and everyone came to an abrupt stop. He didn't turn around so Sakura continued, "Can I be here for a little longer? Just for a few minutes. I want to see my friends."

"Haruno…" Byakuya began with a sudden dark voice. Sakura gulped at the scary tone. "We are ordered to head back once our job here is done. You are not allowed to taint your duty with your personal matters or feelings."

Sakura came to a sudden realization and instantly regretted what she had said.

"I'm sorry, Kuchiki-taichou…. " Sakura apologized. Toushiro noticed her saddened look and tried to defend her.

"I'll go examine some areas to ensure everything's safe. You can go back without me," Toushiro turned to Sakura. "Haruno, I'd like you to come with me to direct me to certain places since you're from here. However, you are not to see your friends."

Sakura was quite surprised at this but she only managed to nod at her captain.

Byakuya only gave a slight nod before he resumed his walking towards the exit. Renji and Rangiku followed from closely behind.

"Haruno, fifteen minutes," Toushiro said once he and Sakura were outside the Hokage tower and the rest of the Shinigamis had disappeared. Sakura looked at him in confusion.

"What?"

"Meet me at the Konohagakure gate after fifteen minutes. Until then, do whatever you want."

"…Really?" Sakura almost grinned widely.

"Hurry up before I change my mind!"

Sakura's grin almost reached her ears. She grabbed both of his wrists.

"Thank you so much, Hitsugaya-taichou!" Sakura released him before she dashed to a different direction. Toushiro just stood in his current position and watched Sakura's retreating back. He smiled at her behavior.

"What am I thinking…" The young captain talked to himself.

X

Seireitei, Soul Society

The fifteen-minute reunion had brought Sakura to Naruto and Team 10 who had happened to have been hanging out together at Ichiraku ramen stand. Although it was only brief, Naruto, Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji enjoyed the story told by the pink-haired kunoichi about Soul Society and its people. Or souls to be exact. Before she was about to leave, Ino had hugged her tightly saying that she would miss teasing her. Nine minutes later Sakura had met up with Toushiro and together they had travelled back to Seireitei.

Now standing in the Shinigami Academy training fields, Sakura closed her eyes to concentrate. She was told that she would have a test of her strength and would battle a Shinigami to see if Sakura was capable of being at least top 10 seat officer. Captain Yamamoto and all the 4th and 10th Division squad officers were going to witness the battle. The battle would take place in a few days.

Sakura panted. She had been training for hours now and decided to stop. She wiped a sweat on her forehead and sat on the ground with her back against a wall. A few minutes later, Shuuhei came with two cups of tea in his hands. He approached Sakura. She got up on her feet.

"Here, I brought you one," he said and handed one cup to her. Sakura took it. She knew she was blushing, but she was thankful that it was hidden by her already flushed face from the exhaustion. "Thank you."

They drank the tea in silence. "So what are you going to do after this? It's already night. Are you going to train more?" he asked. Sakura looked at him. "No, I think I'll stop here." Shuuhei smiled. "Yeah you should. You've been training for hours. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do well in your battle," he reassured her. Sakura nodded and took another sip of the tea. "Say, wanna walk around with me?" Shuuhei suddenly asked.

"Sure."

**-End of Chapter 6-**

* * *

**Next Chapter: Meeting new friends.**


	7. Meeting New Friends

From Two Different Dimensions

Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto whereas Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.

Chapter 7: Meeting new friends.

* * *

Problems about hollows invading Shinobi world had yet to be solved. Such circumstance happened in the human world too and these events happened all of a sudden. Something must be wrong in Hueco Mondo, the place where the hollows come from. So the 12th Division of Gotei 13 was still doing researches and finding solutions.

"Got anything yet?" Nemu asked one of the researchers. Sounds of typing keyboards and mumbles filled the research room. "Not yet. Not even a single clue was found. Everybody is still working on it." The person told. Nemu nodded. She exited the room to report to Mayuri about it.

Meanwhile, few Shinigamis were assigned to go to the human world to view the situation. Toushiro, Rangiku, Sakura, Rukia and Renji were told that it is best to discuss the current matter with Urahara Kisuke. They all agreed and set off to the human world.

"So, who's Urahara Kisuke?" Sakura asked as the whole team arrived in Karakura town. "An owner of the Urahara shop," Renji said. Sakura raised an eyebrow and Rukia rolled her eyes "Renji, be more specific!" Rukia said and turned to Sakura. "He's a former Captain of the 12th Division," Rukia said. Sakura nodded in understanding. "We should get a gigai," Toushiro told them. Before Sakura could ask, he told her, "It's a faux body. We should use it so normal people can see us. Since you're not a soul, you can just stay in your current body."

Now, Sakura had learnt many things.

X

"So why did you call us, Urahara-san?" Ichigo asked as he was about to sit on the floor of the Urahara shop. Uryuu, Chad and Orihime did the same. They, including Kisuke, sat around the brown circular table. "We'll just wait for 'them' to come," Kisuke said. Everyone raised their eyebrows. "Who's 'them'? Uryuu asked. The question was left unanswered as Ururu rushed inside the room. "They're coming! The Shinigamis!" she said.

Later, the main door opened to reveal Toushiro, Rangiku, Sakura, Rukia and Renji. Ichigo stood up at once. "Rukia! Renji! Rangiku-san…Toushiro!" A vein popped in Toushiro's head. "It's Hitsugaya-taichou!" Ichigo ignored that and turned to Sakura. "Who is she?" he asked. Sakura immediately recognized Ichigo as one of the Shinigamis who came to Konoha village during the first hollow attack. "She's Haruno Sakura, one of the ninjas from Shinobi world," Rangiku told everyone.

All eyes widened. "Don't you think it's a bit to early for her to be a Shinigami?" Uryuu asked. "Sakura-san had gained her Shinigami powers. That is why she became a Shinigami earlier than the rest of the ninjas who came to Soul Society," Rukia explained. Everyone listened in amazement. Later, Yoruichi came into the room. "Yes, I've heard about her. Soi Fon told me everything." She came towards Sakura and shook hands with her.

"I'm Shihouin Yoruichi, former commander of the Shinigami special forces," Yoruichi introduced herself. "Nice to meet you," she added. In return, Sakura nodded. Kisuke removed his hat. "I'm Urahara Kisuke." "I'm Inoue Orihime," Orihime introduced herself with a wide smile. "Kurosaki Ichigo." Ichigo said. "I'm Sado Yasutora," told Chad. "Ishida Uryuu, I'm a Quincy."

After hearing Uryuu's voice, Sakura wondered, _"His voice sounds very familiar."_

"NEE-SAN!!" A little lion doll shouted that came out of nowhere. Everyone startled. Kon was about to hug Rukia but he was kicked to the ground. Kon winced. "Nee-san, I missed you!" he said while crying Anime tears. Rukia just smirked. Kon got up to his feet and when he turned to Sakura… "Oh! Another cutie!" he flew towards Sakura and hugged her, pressing his face to her small breasts. Sakura was horrified.

"Kyaaa!! A perverted talking doll!" With her super inhuman strength, Sakura punched Kon until he hit the wall far away…very hard, that a loud 'thud' can be heard. Kon passed out. Everyone chuckled. "Don't worry, he's only an artificial soul," Rangiku reassured her. Sakura would find out about that later because now, she was still shocked about Kon.

"Alright everyone, let's start our meeting now," Kisuke announced. Everyone sat around the circular table. Their positions were as follow:

Kisuke, Yoruichi, Chad, Uryuu, Rukia, Ichigo, Renji, Rangiku, Toushiro, Sakura and Orihime.

Kisuke began, "Now, we know that hollows have been frequently came to both human world and Shinobi world," Sakura frowned at the mention of Shinobi world. Kisuke continued, "We need to know what's causing them to come in large numbers. And about Shinobi world… they shouldn't even have the ability to go there, because Shinobi world is a dimension which is very different than here."

Everyone was deep in their own thoughts. "Maybe something's wrong in Hueco Mondo," Uryuu said. "Yes, we were thinking about that too. Right now, the 12th Division is doing their research," Renji told him. Uryuu pushed the middle of his glasses a bit farther up with his index finger and 'hn'ed.

"Hm, let us know if something important comes up," Yoruichi said. "Sure, we will inform you on everything that matters the situation," Toushiro told her. Kisuke stood up. "I guess that is all." Then, he left the room. Yoruichi followed. Everyone began to talk about random things. Orihime and Sakura talked to each other. "Haruno-san, I like your hair. It's so bright," Orihime said. Sakura ruffled her hair a bit. "Thank you. Yours is beautiful too… oh and please just call me by my first name." Orihime nodded. "Alright, Sakura-san. Oh since you're new to this place, why don't I show you a park where we can get to know each other very well," Orihime grinned. "Sure, let's go!" Sakura said. Both girls stood up and headed towards the door.

"Where are you going, Inoue?" Ichigo asked. "Oh, we're going to a park!" Orihime answered. "I'll come with you! Wait up, Inoue, Sakura!" Rangiku said and joined them. Rukia made a suggestion, "Why not all of us go as well? The park's much better than here anyway." Everyone agreed. "Hey we should get a gigai first," Renji said.

X

Sakura was grateful that she had worn a white T-shirt and her black ninja shorts underneath her Shinigami outfit, or else, she would have to wear the Shinigami outfit while everyone else was in gigai. She was getting bored to wearing the same outfit everyday. She had her ninja high-heel boots too, much to her relief because with them, her legs won't be exposed too much since she only wore the black shorts. She also had her gloves.

The gang was walking along the streets of Karakura town, in search of the mentioned park. Sakura could have sworn many men were staring at Rangiku and herself. Rangiku wasn't bothered at all but Sakura kept bending her head down as if she just got humiliated. Toushiro, who was walking beside her, had shot few glances at her and she noticed this.

Later, they arrived at a large park. There was a track field not far away. "Hey, anybody want to race at the track?" Renji asked. The rest turned to him and they nodded. "I think I'll just watch," Uryuu said and went to the nearest bench. "There are only four lanes. How about we race in pairs?" Sakura made a suggestion. "You mean like the first person runs half of the track and then the other will take the other half?" Ichigo asked. Sakura nodded. "Relay race!" "The pair who won will be treated to a special restaurant," Rangiku offered. Everyone agreed with a chuckle.

"Okay, choose your partner," Rukia said. Rangiku glomped Toushiro. "Taichou, I'm with you!" Rangiku exclaimed. Toushiro sighed. "Um, Kuchiki-san, can I be your partner?" Orihime asked. "Sure, Inoue," Rukia agreed. "Chad, let's go," Ichigo and Chad went ahead to the track field. Sakura looked at Renji. "So that means I'm your partner," she said. "Yeah, come on let's go," Renji said. Everyone got into their position. Ichigo took the first lane, Rukia the second, Renji the third and Rangiku took the fourth. "Remember, let's just do it normally," Rukia said. The rest just shrugged but agreed to it.

Uryuu decided that he would be the judge. "On your mark… Get set… Go." Ichigo, Rukia, Renji and Rangiku took off. Chad, Orihime, Sakura and Toushiro waited and watched as their partners race. The runners' speed almost matched up with each other. "_Maybe it's because they're Shinigamis,_" Sakura thought. _"However, after this it might be different..." _

It was unbelievable, because all the current runners who had ran half of the track, almost reached their partners… at the same time. Sakura held out her hand immediately. "Go, Sakura-san!" Renji said once he clapped his hand over hers. Sakura took off. The rest were already on the go too. Then, Orihime was a bit left behind from the other three… followed by Chad. Now, Toushiro and Sakura are on equal tracks.

Sakura find it very easy to run along the track. As a ninja, she'd been jumping from roof to roof, tree to tree and ninjas' speed is incredibly fast too. That's natural. Sakura knew that Toushiro was in a gigai. _"Oh what am I doing? Why am I taking this easily?" _Sakura looked at Toushiro. He looked back at her and saw her smirked. Toushiro raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, Hitsugaya-taichou but I'm going to win," Sakura said. It was Toushiro's turn to smirk, "We'll just see about that." In a blink of an eye, Sakura was already ahead of Toushiro. "What the…" Toushiro mumbled. _"I'm not at full speed yet," _Sakura began to run at full speed. Now, she's metres away from the other three. "Amazing… Sakura-san," Orihime said. "As expected of a ninja," Rukia said who was amazed at Sakura's speed.

Later, Sakura reached the finish line first, followed by Tousiro, Chad and Orihime. Sakura panted slightly and wiped a sweat away from her forehead. She heard small claps. "We won, Sakura-san!" That was Renji. Before Sakura could turn around to face him, arms had wrapped around her waist, lifted her up and spun her around. Sakura laughed. She knew it was Renji.

X

In a wide clearing, Chad and Sakura stood side by side, watching the view in front of them. Heavy silence fell upon them. Winds caressed their skin. Sakura had no idea why she agreed to this… But since Chad was so curious about her, she agreed to do it. She wouldn't want to let him down. Glancing beside her, she saw Chad staring at the grounds. Sakura did the same and thought for a while.

"Um… Sado-san, are you sure about this? Do we have to do it here?" Sakura broke the silence.

"Yes," Chad responded simply.

"Well, we're alone and nobody's here. Do you think it's okay to do it?"

"I'm sure."

"I'm afraid someone will be shocked about this."

"Are you afraid that someone will find out? We don't have to keep it a secret."

"Uh…yes. Never mind…You ready?"

"Let's do it."

Chad's arm was armored and Sakura concentrated a large amount of chakra to her fist. At the same time, they punched the ground with their enormous strength which caused the ground to be destroyed. The two watched the effect of their strength to the ground. "If somebody finds this out, they'll be shocked," Sakura said grinning. Chad stared wide eye. "Sakura-san, you have an amazing strength." Sakura rubbed the back of her head. "You're not bad too, Sado-san," she said.

Then, Rangiku came out of the bushes. "Oh there you are, Sakura, Sado! It's time to head back! The rest are waiting…Oh my, what happened here?" Rangiku stared at the scene in front of her. The land was in a bad shape. "Oh, Rangiku-san, we were just testing our strength," Sakura said as she ran over towards Rangiku. "Oh I see…Come on let's go. Someone deserves a treat at a restaurant, remember?" Sakura grinned. Later, the three walked out of the clearing.

X

"Ahhhh… That hamburger was delicious!" Renji said as all of the gang walked out of a fast food restaurant. "Hm, yeah can't agree more with you… and the french fries were good too!" Sakura said as she poked her chin with her index finger. The Shinigamis, including Sakura, hardly ever had those kinds of food. Soul Society, a place where souls eat less because they never get hungry, had no fast food restaurants.

On the other hand, the Shinobi world too had no such restaurants. So, the rest of the Shinigamis couldn't agree more with Renji and Sakura. Renji remembered that Sakura had eaten more than two burgers. He chuckled. "For a small girl like you, your sure eat much eh?" "Pfft…" Sakura pouted slightly. The rest chuckled behind the two.

Later, Ichigo, Orihime, Chad and Uryuu went to their separate ways after they bade farewell to the Shinigamis.

X

Once they were back at the Urahara shop, Toushiro's handphone rang. He answered it. "Hitsugaya Toushiro of the 10th Division speaking, who is this?"

"Hitsugaya-taichou, all of you are needed to report back to Soul Society. However, Matsumoto and Haruno should stay and continue the mission. That is all," someone on the other line spoke. "What did he say?" Renji asked. "We must discontinue our mission and go back to Soul Society because only Matsumto and Haruno are needed to carry out the mission," Toushiro answered. "He didn't say as soon as possible, right?" Toushiro shook his head. "Oh why not take a little break here for a while. Maybe Urahara-san has other things to tell us," Renji said. The rest agreed.

Everyone gathered at the meeting room, including Kisuke and Yoruichi. They were talking while having tea. Suddenly, Rangiku stood up. "Now that I'm staying here, I need to take a shower. Where's the bathroom?" she asked Kisuke. "It's upstairs. Fresh towels are in the room next to the bathroom." Rangiku nodded and turned to Sakura. "Sakura, wanna join me?" Sakura was startled by the question. "Um…uh n-no you can go first. I'll wait," Sakura said. Rangiku nodded and went upstairs.

Few minutes later, Rangiku came out of the bathroom, only in a towel. Sakura was waiting outside the bathroom. "Your turn, Sakura," Rangiku said grinning. Sakura nodded and dashed inside the bathroom. Later, Yoruichi appeared and showed Rangiku a room where she and Sakura were supposed to sleep in for the night.

Meanwhile in the bathroom, Sakura turned on the shower tap and felt the water with her hand. She took off her clothes and relaxed in the bath tub while enjoying the shower. "Ahhh… this is more relaxing," she said. Few minutes later, she stood up and enjoyed the shower once more.

Downstairs, Renji, Rukia and Toushiro were still talking to Kisuke. Suddenly, Toushiro stood up. "Where are you going, Hitsugaya-taichou?" Renji asked. "I need to go to the bathroom," he said and went upstairs. By that time, Yoruichi reached downstairs. "Where's he going?" she asked. "Bathroom," Kisuke answered simply. Yoruichi raised an eyebrow. "Sakura's in the bathroom right now." Kisuke and Rukia's eyes widened while Renji choked as he was drinking the tea. "Uh oh, I forgot about that," Kisuke said and scratched the back of his head. Yoruichi sighed. "Did you also forget that the lock of the door is broken?" Now everyone was in horror.

Feeling very comfortable and refreshed, Sakura came out of the bathroom only in a pink towel. "That was refreshing!" Sakura said and smiled widely. She turned around but bumped into someone. Sakura fell on her butt. "Ugh." She opened her eyes and to her horror, the person she just bumped into was Toushiro. His eyes widened. "I'm sorry… Are you alright?" Toushiro held out his hand for her. Sakura was about to say something but then she remembered- Her towel around her body was not wrapped tightly.

And down the towel went, revealing a fully naked Sakura in front of the young Captain's eyes.

"KYAAAAAA!!" came from upstairs.

"Oppsss…" Everyone who was downstairs said in unison.

X

Both Sakura and Toushiro were in deep shade of red right now. There, in front of Toushiro was a **fully **naked Sakura. There was silence at first before Sakura threw a rubber duck…now where did that come from… at Toushiro. The object hit his head. Sakura threw it very hard and surprisingly the light object caused Toushiro to stumble against the wall behind him. Sakura grabbed the fallen towel and immediately covered her body before rushing inside the bathroom. The door was slammed shut. Toushiro rubbed his head, still shocked about the incident.

Everyone rushed upstairs. Rangiku came out of her room and went beside Toushiro. She helped him getting up and giggled. "What's so funny?" Toushiro asked. "Hm, it's cute when the both you were blushing," Rangiku said. She had seen everything. Toushiro grunted and went downstairs. "Let's go, we should head back to Soul Society now," Toushiro said. Rukia and Renji followed. Kisuke and Yoruichi just shrugged and went back downstairs whereas Rangiku knocked on the bathroom door.

"Sakura, are you done?" Finally, Sakura came out slowly. Her hair was still dripping wet and her face was still red from the incident. Who wouldn't be so embarrassed when a Captain just saw you naked? Not half naked but completely naked! Rangiku put an arm around Sakura's bare shoulder. "You'll get over it soon. Now, get changed," Rangiku reassured her and they went inside their bedroom.

**-End of Chapter 7-**

* * *

**Next chapter: Sakura's Shinigami test.**

**(A/N: It's been a week since I last update! I'm very sorry for that. So again, I would like to thank you to everyone who reviewed and still reading this story. Thank you so much :D Oh I never get to say this... I apologize for any grammar/spelling mistakes. Btw, I'm surprised that no one was curious about Sai's drawing... or is it too obvious? Oo ) **


	8. Sakura's Shinigami Test

From Two Different Dimensions

Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto whereas Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.

Chapter 8: Sakura's Shinigami Test.

* * *

Sakura and Rangiku returned to Soul Society the next day. They didn't encounter any hollows in the human world so they were asked to head back to Seireitei. After they reported their mission to Captain Yamamoto, Rangiku went to her separate way. "_Probably going to find and drink sake again_," Sakura thought. She found out that Rangiku can drink a lot last night when she saw her drank few bottles of sake at the Urahara shop. That reminded her of Tsunade. Sakura went down a hallway to the 10th Division squad building. Then, remembering the incident last night, she blushed.

"How am I going to face taichou right now?"

X

Toushiro was doing his usual routine; paperwork. He sighed every time he finished doing one paper and then found another paper to do. Later, he heard footsteps coming closer to his office. He wondered who that could be. _"_Please no more paperwork_," _he muttered while holding onto his pen tightly. He mumbled few curses when the person came with lots of paper in her hands. He then focused onto the person who was carrying the papers. His eyes widened when he saw it was Sakura.

He cleared his throat immediately. "Oh it's you, Haruno. I didn't expect to see you this early," he said. Sakura just nodded. "Taichou, I got these for you," she said about the papers and walked towards Toushiro's desk. Sakura wasn't really focusing on what she's doing and tried to avoid Toushiro's eyes. Then, because of those actions, to her horror, she tripped on her own feet and fell to the ground.

The papers she was carrying scattered across the floor. _"Fuck! This is so humiliating, Was I destined to fall so much?"_ Sakura cursed. "_Oh my God!" _Toushiro got up from his seat and went to Sakura immediately. She was already on her knees and tried to gather all the flown papers.

Toushiro helped her reorganizing all the papers on the floor…. until they were so closed enough. Sakura was surprised. They stared into each other's eyes for quite a while…until Rangiku came in. "Taichou I'm back…..what are you two doing on the floor?" she added when she saw the two sitting on the floor between piles of papers. Toushiro and Sakura startled and got onto their feet immediately.

"What happened here?" Rangiku asked again. "I was… uh…. I tripped while I was carrying these papers," she said sheepishly while rubbing the back of her head. Rangiku sighed. "I'll help taichou with the mess. Sakura, the 4th division squad needs you right now. I was asked to call you." Sakura nodded and before she left the office, she whispered something to Toushiro.

"Sorry for the mess."

X

**Konoha Village, Shinobi World**

Few ANBUs had just arrived at the front gates of Konoha village. They were just back from their mission. One of them sat on the nearest bench and sighed. "What a long mission," he said in a low voice. "Yo," came from behind. The ANBU turned around and saw a man standing behind a tree, holding his favourite book- Icha Icha Paradise. The ANBU took off his mask. "Kakashi-senpai," he said.

"Just got back from mission eh, Tenzo?" Kakashi said while still sinking his face in the book. Yamato nodded. "A big event happened while you're not here. You see, it's…" "No need to tell, Kakashi-senpai. I already know about it. A monster called hollow attacked this village, right?" Yamato cut in. Kakashi closed his book and turned to face Yamato. "How did you know?" Kakashi asked. "Pfft, the whole world knows about it already. Rumours spread fast you know…" "…Except that it's not a rumour," Kakashi cut in.

Yamato nodded slowly. "So what happened?" he asked. "Some shinobi from this village went to Soul Society for training," Kakashi then told Yamato about everything that had happened. "So who went to Soul Society?" Yamato asked. Kakashi thought for a while, trying to remember who went to Soul Society. "An ANBU, three Jounins and three Chuunins…."

"Oh…"

"….including Sakura," Kakashi continued. Yamato widened his eyes. "S-Sakura?" Kakashi nodded.

"Yo Kakashi-sensei, Yamato-taichou!" Both Kakashi and Yamato startled and were forced to take a step back when an upside-down Naruto came in between them. His feet were on the tree branch and were concentrated with chakra. Yamato put on his mask immediately. "Hm, no use in hiding your identity, Yamato-taichou. I know it's you," Naruto said and grinned. "_Darn it, I'm busted!" _Yamato took off his mask once again.

Not far away, Sai was sitting on the grassy ground; his back was against a tree. He was looking at his drawing on his sketchpad, the one he drew when he and Sakura were in the library before the hollow incident took place. He stared into a pair of inked eyes, eyes that were concentrating on a certain book- Different Dimension.

There on his sketchpad, was a beautiful drawing of Haruno Sakura. Sai drew her while she was reading the book in the library. He had no idea what got him into doing it, but there was a feeling inside him that urged him to do it. This always happens when he saw her.

"What is this feeling?"

X

Meanwhile in Tsunade's office, the Hokage was having a discussion with two ninjas.

"So Temari, I hope you'll tell the Kazekage about it although he might already know," Tsunade said. "Yes, Hokage-sama, I'll tell him about the hollow incident," Temari said. Tsunade stopped her writing on a paper and folded it before she put it in an envelope. "Here, give this to the Kazekage. It contains some details about Soul Society and also the ninjas who went there. Since Sunagakure is our ally, I think we should let him know everything," Tsunade explained. Temari took the letter from Tsunade.

"Hokage-sama, do you think a war will occur? I mean will hollows attack or invade the Shinobi world?" Temari asked. "That will be so troublesome," Shikamaru said. He was among the people in the room. "It's possible," Tsunade said. Temari frowned and Shikamaru sighed. "When do you think it'll take place?" Temari asked again.

"It may happen anytime, most likely years from now on. But the Shinigami had yet to inform us the causes of hollow coming to this world," told Tsunade. Temari nodded in understanding. She bowed and thanked her. "I'll be heading off now to Suna. See you some other time, Hokage-sama." Tsunade nodded. Temari and Shikamaru went out of the office.

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society**

In the fourth division squad building, Sakura was making several antidotes. Unohana and Hanatarou were there observing her. They discovered that Sakura knew how to make antidotes that kill even the most dangerous poisons inside a body of a being.

Sakura was asked to make several antidotes of it for experiments and also for the Shinigamis of the fourth division to learn on how to create it. They thought that the antidotes might be useful.

"Sakura-san, you're an amazing medic," Hanatarou commented while Unohana nodded in agreement. "Nahh, I'm not that great. It's all thanks to Tsunade-shishou. She's my master and she has thought me everything," Sakura said. The room grew silent as both Unohana and Hanatarou observed Sakura. Sakura wiped a sweat away on her forehead with the back of her hand. She has been working for two hours non-stop and her chakra almost ran out.

Later, a Shinigami came into the room and brought surprising news. "Haruno-san, Yamamoto-taichou has announced that your test will begin in half an hour. Please be at the academy training grounds by then." Sakura gulped. She stopped her actions immediately.

The Shinigami looked at Unohana. "Unohana-taichou, the fourth division squad are needed to see the battle as well as the tenth division squad," said the Shinigami. "Understood. We'll be there," Unohona said. The Shinigami then left the room.

Sakura washed her hands and sat on a chair next to Hanatarou. _"Thirty minutes till the battle. That's a bit enough time to recover my chakra," _Sakura closed her eyes. _"I must do my best." _ While still closing her eyes, she thought again, "_I wonder who my opponent will be?"_Later, she fell asleep.

Sakura felt someone shaking her body numerous times. "Sakura-san, Sakura-san…. Wake up!" Sakura rubbed her eyes. Then, realization hit her. She has a battle coming. "Shit! I'm late!" Sakura stood up immediately. Hanatarou was shocked. "Calm down, Sakura-san! The battle will start in ten minutes. I thought I should wake you up to get prepared," he said. Sakura let out an 'oh'.

She did some warming up. When she was done, she took out her badge and later came out a Shinigami Sakura. She brought her original body to a nearby couch and laid it there.

She then headed towards the academy training grounds.

X

Sakura grew nervous once she arrived at the training field. Captain Yamamoto, Lieutenant Choujiro, the 4th and 10th Division squads were present at the place. Sakura went in the middle of the field. She spotted Unohana, Isane, Toushiro and Rangiku standing beside Captain Yamamoto. Rangiku was waving at her with a wide smile. "Do your best, Sakura!" Rangiku shouted. Sakura smiled and waved back. Unohana and Toushiro gave her a smile- a smile that said 'good luck'. Sakura nodded at them. She held onto the handle of her Zanpakutou tightly.

"_I can do this."_

"I call for Kazuma Yusuke to step into the battle field!" Captain Yamamoto called. Then, a man with brown spiky hair stepped out from the crowds. He is well-built and has a pair of blue eyes. Sakura frowned. _"He must be my opponent…" _Yusuke stood few feet in front of Sakura. They observed each other's reiatsu for a while. _"I can feel it. His reiatsu is strong…" _Sakura thought.

"The battle may begin…. NOW," Captain Yamamoto said.

Both Shinigamis drew their Zanpakutous and they charged at each other until their blades clashed. They stayed in that position for a few moments before they jumped backwards. Sakura charged at her opponent first and swung her Zanpakutou at Yusuke. He managed to get away but also obtained a small cut on the neck in the process.

He jumped into the air and leapt. Sakura widened her eyes. _"Where is he?"_ Then, pain shot through her right upper arm. She looked at it and was shocked to find a blade pierced through her arm. Sakura looked behind her slowly. Yusuke was behind her, holding the piercing Zanpakutou.

"I'll say this, Haruno-san...you're good but…you're so slow in detecting my presence," Yusuke said. He drew his Zanpakutou away from her. Blood oozed out from her arm and she was down oh her knees. She clutched her bleeding arm and healed it. Yusuke went in front of her. "It doesn't matter to me if you're a woman. In a battle field, we must fight seriously," he said. Sakura smirked. "Who said you should take on me lightly?" she said and stood up. Her arm was healed but not entirely. She needed to save much chakra for the battle.

"You have an impressive healing ability but you can't heal yourself all the time. Eventually, you'll run out of energy to fight me," Yusuke said. "Enough talking," Sakura said and charged at him. Their blades clashed again. Then, Yusuke disappeared. Sakura was in horror._"Relax Sakura… relax! It's not like you haven't trained to detect people, right?"_ Sakura thought.

Then, she remembered. Tsunade had trained her to spot enemies' presence. Due to her lack of training lately, she had forgotten about it. Sakura immediately focused on her surroundings. _"Left, right, above, below, in front…" _Then, she sensed it.

"Behind!!" Sakura turned around and with her super inhuman strength; she punched Yusuke who suddenly appeared behind her. She sent him flying few metres away. He fell onto the ground and coughed blood. "Seems that you underestimated me, Yusuke-san," Sakura said.

Yusuke got up to his feet and smirked. "You're good. Now, I'll just use Shikai mode," he said. _"Shikai?"_ Yusuke held his Zanpakutou in front of him. Sakura jumped few feet back. Then, the blade of Yusuke's Zanpakutou multiplied. "Howl, Thousands of Blades!" _"That must be his Zanpakutou's name,"_ Sakura thought.

Then, the blades flew towards Sakura. Her eyes widened. She didn't have much time to dodge so she got hit by some of them. She healed some of the injured areas immediately and got up back to her feet. Yusuke's blade multiplied again and the blades charged at her. She ran. The blades followed her everywhere. With chakra concentrated to her feet, she ran on walls and all the blades hit the walls instead.

Sakura stopped and landed on the ground. She panted slightly. More blades were coming towards her. _"That's it! I've had enough of this. Let me show him my Shikai!" _Although more blades were coming to her in every direction, Sakura didn't move. She closed her eyes and held her Zanpakutou upright. She looked at her reflection in the blade.

"Come out, Hikari no Tsubasa!"

At that moment, everyone was shocked. "She have found out the name of her Zanpakutou, that means…" Captain Yamamoto said. "…She can activate Shikai," Toushiro added. The blades were getting closer to Sakura and she didn't even make a slightest movement. But then…

'WHOOOSSHH'

All the blades were thrown away from Sakura's direction by a strong wind. Everyone was shocked and curious about where the strong wind came from. Then, they saw it. The blade of Sakura's Zanpakutou had extended to a much larger size. Sakura made one swing of her Zanpakutou at Yusuke's direction. It produced a strong wind that hit Yusuke. He received a lot of cuts on his body.

Sakura panted heavily. _"I didn't train enough…Even one swing took a lot of my chakra. At this rate, my limit is only four swings. I only have two swings left!"_

More blades came at Sakura. She dodged them with her large Zanpakutou. Yusuke charged at her and their blades collided. It was only for a short time when Yusuke jumped back and multiplied his Zanpakutou's blades again. Sakura had to react quickly because the blades were coming at high speed. Moreover, the distance between her and Yusuke was not far away. So her instant reaction was to create another strong wind. It dodged all the blades but Yusuke managed to get away. Sakura mumbled few curses. _"Now I only have one left!"_ Sakura began to grow more exhausted.

Then, she saw an opening. Yusuke was still running. Sakura ran at him at full speed. "_This is it! The last but powerful swing. I won't miss this!"_Sakura increased her speed and swung her blade at Yusuke's direction. She swung it so hard that it produced a much stronger wind. Yusuke got hit by it and he was thrown against a wall and collapsed on his knees.

He got a lot of cuts on his body and they were bleeding. Sakura came closer to him. _"Those cuts won't make him move… I guess I won the match,"_ And then, she knew she was careless when a blade hit her Zanpakutou which caused her to loss grip on it. Her Zanpakutou landed few metres away from her. Sakura was about to run and grab it when more blades pierced through her back. Horror.

Sakura coughed blood and collapsed to the ground. Yusuke smirked and got up. Sakura lifted her head to look at him. "How…" she said slowly. "You didn't notice that there were some blades left flying in the air. Haruno-san, you are strong but sadly, you're not strong enough to beat me, a 5th seat officer in the 10th Division squad," Yusuke said. Sakura smirked. "Oh I'm not done yet…" she said. Then, she turned into a puff of smoke.

"What the…!!!" Yusuke yelled. "A clone?" Everyone watched in amazement. Yusuke could not locate Sakura's Zanpakutou. "Behind you," Before he could turn around, Sakura's Zanpakutou had already pierced through him. More blood splashed out. He turned his head slowly to find Sakura. She withdrew her Zanpakutou from his body slowly. Yusuke closed his eyes before he collapsed to the ground.

Sakura panted more heavily. Those four swings of her Zanpakutou caused her to run out of chakra completely. Applause can be heard throughout the field. Sakura's vision became blurred. She looked at Captain Yamamoto's direction.

Unohana and Rangiku looked happy and they cheered for her and Toushiro… he was smiling at her. Sakura smiled back. _"I did it!" _ Sakura closed her eyes and let her body took her to the ground. Before she could collapsed to the ground, Toushiro already caught her. He brought her in his arms and observed her. She had lots of cuts and bruises and some parts of her body were bleeding.

Rangiku came beside him. "She's unconscious," she said. "I better take her to the 4th Division squad building for treatment or else she'll lost a large amount of blood," Toushiro said. Rangiku nodded. He took off while carrying Sakura bridal-style. Rangiku smiled at his back._"Taichou…"_

The 4th Division squad officers who were present in the field helped and treated Yusuke's injuries. They later brought him to their main building.

X

Sakura opened her eyes slowly to find herself in a familiar place. _"I'm in the 4__th__ squad building." _"Good, you're awake." Sakura was startled. She turned on her right and found Shuuhei standing near her bed.

"Oh, Shuuhei-san… How long was I out?" Sakura asked. "Five hours," he said. Sakura nodded. She found herself staring at the ceiling. "I heard you did very well in the fight although it was tied…" he said. "Tied, eh? No winner… no loser…" Sakura said slowly. She was still exhausted from the fight. Shuuhei looked behind him. Toushiro was standing against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Well Sakura-san, I have to go now. Get well soon," Shuuhei said. Sakura nodded and said, "Thanks for visiting." Then, he left the room. Toushiro approached Sakura. "Hey…" he said. "Hey…" Sakura replied back. There was silence for a while. "Congratulations." Sakura raised an eyebrow before turning to face him. Toushiro smiled slightly. "It's been decided. You are now the 6th seat officer of the 10th Division squad. Sakura sat up immediately. "Really?" Toushiro nodded.

Sakura felt very happy to know that she was now considered to be one of the strongest Shinigami.

**-End of Chapter 8-**

* * *

**Next Chapter: A Party and Unexpected!**

**(A/N: Another chapter finished. Thanks for the reviews everyone! Without you guys I wouldn't go this far. :D About Sasuke... will he be in this story? You'll find out about that soon... or if you like spoilers you can go to my profile page and see the titles of the chapters. There's a hint. Watch out for the next chapter...) **


	9. Party

From Two Different Dimensions

Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto whereas Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.

Chapter 9: A Party and Unexpected!

* * *

"Captain Commander, more hollows have appeared in the human world. I just came back from my mission. With the assistance of Kurosaki Ichigo, the substitute Shinigami, we were able to tackle down all the hollows," Rukia made her report to Captain Yamamoto. He was deep in thought for a while. Rukia watched him. "It seems that the situation is still the same. More hollows kept coming to the human world," he said. Rukia nodded slowly. 

"I am going to assign you on the same mission again. You are to stay in the human world for a few days until we asked you to return back. Your mission is to investigate the situation there. Bring anyone with you and tell them about the mission. Is that clear?" Rukia nodded. "Yes, sir!" Rukia was about to leave the hall when Captain Yamamoto said again, "Bring Haruno Sakura with you as well." Rukia nodded and exited the hall.

**An hour later**

At the Soukyoku Hill, few Shinigamis had assembled to prepare for their departure. Shuuhei, Rukia, Sakura, Renji, Ikkaku and Yumichika waited for one more person to come. "Where is she? She said she really wanted to come with us!" Ikkaku said. Sakura looked at him. "Be patient, Ikkaku-san. She'll be here in a few more minutes," she said. Ikkaku sighed.

"Hey guys!" Everyone turned around to see Rangiku running towards them. Toushiro was behind her. "Eh, Hitsugaya-taichou? You're going too?" Renji asked. Toushiro nodded. "Yeah… He said if I'm going then he'll go too," Rangiku said. "So who's going to do all the paperwork? I thought I saw lots of them on your desk this morning, Hitsugaya-taichou," Sakura said.

Toushiro and Rangiku looked at each other. Their faces held an evil smirk.

X

In Toushiro's office, Yusuke stood in front of the Captain's desk which was flooded by lots of papers. Yusuke stared wide-eye at them. At that moment, he really thought that his Captain and the Lieutenant were evil to leave him with such work. He went over to the desk and browsed through the papers.

"You have got to be kidding me."

X

**Karakura Town, Human World.**

Once the Shinigamis entered the Urahara shop, Sakura was surprised by a sudden bump on the chest. She gasped and looked down. To her horror, it was Kon.

"Aah Sakura-chan… You came back!" Kon said as he pressed his face to her chest further. Sakura gritted her teeth in annoyance and instantly punched the living doll. It hit a wall and fell unconscious. Poor Kon. "Tell me…" Sakura started. All heads turned towards her immediately. They sweat dropped when they saw Sakura's evil glare. "Is that Kon always like that?" More sweatdrop. "Y-yeah… He's quite like that. You can say he's a pervert," Rukia told her. Now people knew that Sakura loathe perverts.

Then, Kisuke came out. "Oh you guys… What brings you here?" he asked. "Another mission," all the Shinigamis answered simultaneously. Kisuke let out an 'oh'. He saw Kon and picked it up. He glanced at Sakura._"She has an amazing strength…"_ Then, the main door opened and came in Ichigo. He was surprised by the presence of the Shinigamis.

"Renji, Shuuhei, Rukia, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Sakura-san, Rangiku-san… Tou…"

"It's Hitsugaya-taichou!" Toushiro cut in.

"-shiro… so it was you guys. I was wondering about the huge amount of reiatsu while I was outside," Ichigo said. He looked around the shop. "What are you looking for, Kurosaki-san?" Kisuke asked. "Where's Kon? I thought I saw him running here," Ichigo said. Kisuke held Kon up. "Oh there he is… He shouldn't be wandering off especially since hollows came so often. I need him to take care of my body while I was in my Shinigami form," Ichigo said and grabbed Kon from Kisuke. He went back to the door and was about to leave the shop.

"Aren't you gonna ask what happened to him?" Renji asked. Ichigo looked at Kon who was still unconscious. "Nah… I know Kon. He must've done something wrong… Am I right?" he asked. "Darn right…" Sakura muttered, enough for Ichigo to hear. He almost grinned and turned to leave. Suddenly, he turned around once more to face the Shinigamis. "By the way, my dad's throwing a party tonight. So all of you are invited," Ichigo said.

"A party? Oh yes I would like to come!" Rangiku said happily. Ichigo nodded and left the shop. Suddenly, Rangiku grabbed Sakura's wrists. "Sakura, since we're in the human world, why don't we go shopping?" Rangiku asked. Sakura raised an eyebrow and wondered how can they go and have fun at times like this. Before she could say anything, Rangiku had dragged her out of the shop. Toushiro sighed. "There she goes again."

**Later at night.**

At the Kurosaki residence, the family was busy preparing for the party set by Kurosaki Isshin. Ichigo had no idea why his father decided to throw a party for him, but he just agreed to it.

"So Ichigo, have you invited your friends to come over for the party?" Isshin asked his son. "Yeah," Ichigo replied simply. He was flipping through channels with the remote control in his hand. Isshin grinned and nodded. _"I wonder if he's inviting his Shinigami friends too."_"Hey Yuzu, how's everything going in the kitchen?" he said. Yuzu's head poked out of the kitchen. She smiled. "Everything's done!" She looked at Karin who was busy setting up the balloons on the walls. Later, the door bell rings.

"Oh that must be your friends, Ichigo!" Isshin said and went to get the door. Ichigo followed him. He opened the door to reveal the Shinigamis. Renji, Shuuhei, Rukia, Toushiro, Ikkaku and Yumichika were in their faux bodies. "Rukia-chan!! Long time no see!" Isshin said and cried Anime tears. Rukia sweat dropped while Ichigo sighed. "Where's Rangiku-san and Sakura-san?" Ichigo asked. "They went shopping and haven't been back since this afternoon," Rukia told him.

Later, Ichigo's classmates, Chad, Uryuu, Keigo, Mizuiro and Tatsuki arrived. "Where's Inoue?" Ichigo asked Uryuu. "I don't know. There's no one at her house when I passed by," Uryuu said. Then, the door bell rings again. Tatsuki offered to get the door. She opened it to reveal Sakura, Rangiku and Orihime. Sakura was wearing a red long-sleeve shirt and a white jeans skirt.

"Tatsuki-chan, I'm glad you came!" Orihime exclaimed and hugged her best friend. "So Inoue went shopping with them too," Ichigo said. Once Keigo set his eyes on Rangiku, he ran towards her. "Oh it's you again!!" he exclaimed. Before he could touch her, Rangiku had elbowed him in the stomach.

Yuzu turned on the music and the party started.

X

Sakura poured some orange juice into her glass. She took a sip and looked at her surroundings. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Then, she saw Uryuu sitting at a table alone. She approached the table and sat across him. Uryuu was surprised to see her.

"Ishida Uryuu, right?" Sakura asked. Uryuu nodded. Sakura took another sip of the orange juice. "You're a Quincy, right? Can you explain to me more about a Quincy?" Sakura asked. Uryuu looked at her. "You didn't know about a Quincy?" he asked. Sakura rubbed the back of her head. "Well, I finished learning at the Shinigami academy quite early so… I haven't learned much," she said. Uryuu nodded.

"Unlike the Shinigami, a Quincy used a bow as a weapon. It is created by the spiritual particles gained from the surroundings," he said._"Interesting,"_ Sakura thought. "Does a Quincy perform konso too like the Shinigamis?" she asked. Uryuu pushed the middle of his glasses further up. "No, we destroy them," he said. Sakura nodded. She looked around her once more.

"Why aren't you joining the rest for the party?" she asked. Uryuu didn't answer. _"Another not a party-type of a person, eh?" _she thought. Then, she spotted Toushiro standing against a wall with a glass of water in hand not far behind Uryuu. She blushed.

"_**Why am I always blushing whenever I saw him?"**_ Inner-Sakura questioned herself. Sakura pushed the thought away. "Haruno-san, what squad are you in?" Uryuu asked all of a sudden. Sakura blinked. "I'm in the 10th Division squad with Hitsugaya-taichou…" she slapped her mouth immediately when she realized what she has said. _"Idiot…idiot…He already knows that taichou's in the 10__th__ Division squad… Why did I have to say his name?"_ "Eh, something wrong, Haruno-san?" Uryuu asked.

"N-no," Sakura said. She wondered what has gotten into her these days. She stayed in Soul Society for almost three months now, and she never had this feeling. She gasped. At that moment, Sakura realized that she had developed a certain feeling towards a certain Captain, but she was not sure what the feelings are. _"Could it be…No! It might be just a feeling for a Captain by a subordinate…" _she thought. And then, Sasuke's image came into her mind. She shook her head several times. _"Sasuke-kun…"_ She looked at Uryuu. He was taking a sip of his lemonade.

"_Speaking of Sasuke-kun…Uryuu-san's voice is very similar to Sasuke-kun's!"_

X

"So what do you guys wanna play?" Renji asked. Everyone thought for a while. "How about we play Truth or Dare?" Orihime said all of a sudden. "What? Inoue, don't you think that game's a bit… you know… for us?" Ichigo said. Orihime raised an eyebrow. "I don't know there's an age limit to play this game," she said. Ichigo sweat dropped, "I didn't mean that… It's just that this game seems old for me at least."

"Truth or dare? What's the game about? Sounds fun though," Rukia said. "Eh Kuchiki-san doesn't know?" Orihime asked. Rukia, and surprisingly Shuuhei, Renji and Rangiku shook their heads. So it was up to Ichigo an Orihime to explain to the Shinigamis on how to play the said game.

**Few minutes later…**

They all sat on the floor in a circle. "So I'll go first," Ichigo said. He observed everyone's faces for a while. "Renji, truth or dare?" he said all of a sudden. Renji narrowed his eyes before he answered. "Dare…" he answered. _"This should be fun,"_ Ichigo smirked inwardly. He pointed to a wall behind Renji. Renji's eyes followed the direction to where Ichigo was pointing.

"See that dress?" he asked. There was a blue gown hung to the wall. "That gown was a false delivery. It belongs to someone in the next town," he continued. "So?" Renji asked. Ichigo smirked. "You wear it," told Ichigo. Renji widened his eyes. The rest almost laughed.

X

Toushiro sighed. He took another sip of his drink. He looked around him and spotted Sakura and Uryuu talking to each other and sighed once more. Then, the door next to him creaked open. The person behind the door stepped in. Toushiro saw a glimpse of something blue and found out that it was a gown. Later, the person came out. Toushiro's eyes widened.

"Abarai?"

Everyone laughed. Toushiro tried his hardest not to laugh so he backed away from the scene. Sakura choked when she saw Renji coming out of the bathroom. She laughed as well. _"That's why I stopped playing truth or dare_," she thought. Shuuhei, Rukia and Rangiku were laughing their ass off. "Done!" Renji half-yelled and stormed back into the bathroom once more to change to his normal clothes.

X

"Hisagi, truth or dare?" Renji asked. Shuuhei thought for a while. "Dare," he said. Renji smirked. Shuuhei raised an eyebrow. "It'd better be not the gown again!" he said. Renji shook his head. He then spotted Sakura sitting at a table with Uryuu. He had an idea. "Hisagi, I want you to…" he whispered the rest of his plan to Shuhei.

"So, Uryuu-san…" Sakura was unable to continue the conversation as Shuuhei approached her. Both Sakura and Uryuu stared at him with a questioning look. "Is there something wrong, Shuuhei-san?" Sakura asked. Shuuhei sighed. "I'm sorry Sakura-san, but…" he said. _"They'd better not be playing their stupid game on me!"_ Sakura thought. Then, to her horror, Shuuhei slid his arms under her neck and legs and lifted her bridal style.

Toushiro who was drinking water, choked when he saw the scene. "The hell?!" Sakura half-yelled. Shuuhei carried her upstairs. Uryuu stared in disbelief. "That was weird," he muttered. Sakura panicked and blushed furiously. "Put me down!" she said. When they reached at the top of the stairs, Shuuhei let go of Sakura. "I'm sorry Sakura-san, it's a dare I had to perform," Shuuhei said and went downstairs, leaving Sakura alone. "That…That's the most stupidest dare I've ever heard!!" Sakura shouted and rushed downstairs.

"Hey Renji," Ichigo called.

"What is it?" Renji asked.

"You wanted to annoy Sakura-san, don't you?" At that time, Shuuhei reached downstairs and sat beside Renji on the floor.

"Poor Sakura-san," Orihime said.

"It's just for fun. I just wanted to see Sakura-san's reaction…" Renji grinned.

"Well, you might wanna see it now," Rukia said and pointed at a figure standing behind Renji and Shuuhei. The atmosphere around them became so dense all of the sudden. Both Renji and Shuuhei turned their heads around slowly. Sakura was crackling her knuckles and she shot a death glare at the two males in front of her. The men stared at her in horror. "I supposed they've forgotten about Sakura's inhuman strength," Ichigo said.

"SHANNARO!!!"

And Renji and Shuuhei were sent flying out of the window in the clear night sky.

X

"Kuchiki-san, truth or dare?" Shuuhei asked while Orihime was healing his injured face. "Truth," Rukia answered. "_Dare is too risky!"_ Rukia thought. After Orihime finished healing Shuuhei's face, she proceeded in healing Renji's. Shuuhei thought for a while. "What is the thing that you like the most?" Shuuhei asked. Rukia's face brightened. "I love bunnies!" she said. Everyone sweat dropped.

"That explains why she always drew people that resemble rabbits… And they were horrible," Ichigo said in a very low voice. Unfortunately, Rukia heard it and kicked him in the face. So the game continued.

Sakura went to the refreshment table to re-fill her glass. Then, Keigo appeared beside her. Sakura startled and almost dropped her glass. "Come to think of it, I never saw you. Are you one of Ichigo's friends?" he asked. _"Not fair! Why does Ichigo always have cute friends like her?!"_ Keigo thought. Sakura thought for a while. _"I can't sense any reiatsu coming from this guy…So he might be only a normal human being. That means I can't tell him about where I come from."_"Yes, I'm one of Kurosaki-san's friends," she replied.

Then, Keigo secretly looked at Sakura's chest. _"Not much but…she's still a hottie!"_ Next, he received a hard punch in the face.

"Inoue, truth or dare?" Rukia asked. "Truth!" Orihime smiled widely.

Sakura took a few steps back away from Keigo. Unknown to her, Toushiro was behind her so she bumped on his back. Both heads turned around to see each other.

"Haruno…"

"Hitsugaya-taichou…"

Later, they both started a normal conversation.

"Rangiku-san, truth or dare?" Orihime asked the said person. Rangiku thought for a while before she answered, "Dare!" Few minutes have passed and Orihime didn't say a word. "I've no idea," she hung her head in shame. Everyone sweat dropped. Then, Rangiku needed to use the bathroom. "Time out!" she said and ran to the direction of the bathroom.

While Rangiku was running, she accidentally pushed Sakura and didn't turn back to apologize. Sakura was forced to stumble forward. Toushiro was shocked. Any seconds now Sakura would have fallen onto him and both will fall onto the floor…instead she grabbed his shoulders for support and accidentally pressed her lips to his.

Both stared wide-eye at each other. They stayed like that for a while. Neither even made a single move to break away._"What…Why? Taichou's not even pulling away…"_ They kept staring at each other and stayed in their current position. Sakura blushed as she began to close her eyes. She attempted to deepen the kiss, but Toushiro had pulled away slightly.

"Haruno…"

Then it hit her. Sakura realized what she was doing and backed away from him. Her blush deepened. She was surprised to see her Captain blushing too. Both looked around them. Luckily no one was watching. Sakura hung her head. "I'm very sorry, Hitsugaya-taichou," she apologized and took more steps back. It took a while before Toushiro spoke. "It's ok." Sakura shot up her head immediately to look at him but he was already gone.

She couldn't see him in the crowds. There were just too many people at the party. Sakura didn't move. Then, she touched her lips with her fingers. She bit her bottom lip.

"That was so unexpected!"

**-End of Chapter 9-**

* * *

**Next Chapter: Jealousy**

**Please note:**

**Konso- Soul burial**


	10. Jealousy

From Two Different Dimensions

Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto whereas Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.

Chapter 10: Jealousy

* * *

"_**I know what happened to your clan… But with revenge alone, you will not be able to make anyone happy…"**_

"…" _**He was silent.**_

"_**No one… Neither you, nor me…"**_

"_**I know that…"**_

_**I gasped.**_

"_**I'm different than you guys. The four of us together… it's true that I have thought of that as one possible path. Despite the four of us having been together, my heart has chosen revenge."**_

"…" _**I watched him as he stood with his back facing me.**_

"_**I can't be like you or Naruto…"**_

"_**Aren't you going to be lonely by yourself? Sasuke-kun, you told me that being alone is painful. I know that very well, so much that it hurts!"**_

"…" _**He's still not facing me.**_

"_**I have a family and friends… but if you leave, for me, to me… it's the same as being alone!"**_

"_**From this point on, new paths will start…"**_

_**And then the confession. "I…I love you more than anything! If you are by my side, I'll make sure that you'll not regret it. I'll make everyday more enjoyable, and you'll be happy! I would do anything for you!"**_

"…"

"_**That's why I beg you… Please stay here! I'll even help you with your revenge. There must be something I can do!"**_

_**Silence.**_

"_**That's why… please stay here with me. If that's not possible…"**_

_**More tears ran down my cheeks.**_

"…_**Please, take me with you."**_

_**I cried more. Then, he turned around.**_

"_**After all this… you're still annoying."**_

_**I gasped when he started to go.**_

"_**Don't go! If you go, I'll scream out loud and…"**_

_**He appeared behind me.**_

"_**Sakura… Thank you."**_

_**Pain shot through my head.**_

"_**Sasuke-kun…"**_

…………………

_**When I saw that emotionless artist standing and staring at the sky above him, I frowned and immediately ran towards him. I grabbed his neck and yelled at him.**_

"_**You!"**_

_**Sai stared wide-eye at me.**_

"_**How many times are you going to betray us…"**_

"_**Sakura…"**_

_**Someone called my name all of a sudden. I looked up slowly. My eyes widened.**_

"_**That voice…"**_

_**At last! After two and a half years, we finally meet again.**_

"_**Sasuke-kun…"**_

X

Sakura jolted awake and gasped. It took her awhile before she calmed down. She looked at the alarm clock beside her on the table next to her bed. It read 7:05 a.m. She sighed before she looked out of the window. She could see the Soukyoku Hill from her spot. Lying back on her bed, she thought about the dream. "What's with that dream? Sasuke-kun…" She gazed at the ceiling for a long time.

'I think it's time for you to step out of your love life…' Sakura knew that voice. "Hikari no Tsubasa…" Before she knew it, the Zanpakutou sat beside her on the bed. "What do you mean?" Hikari no Tsubasa stared into Sakura's eyes.

'That dream might tell you that you should forget about your long time crush… You have a new goal, remember?'

"…"

'I'm a part of you… I've seen your past, Sakura…'

"-you know what, you're right," Sakura cut in. She stared at the ceiling once more. Remembering the incident last night, she blushed and touched her lips. She had kissed Toushiro. She buried her face in the pillow and sighed heavily.

"_What have I done? What was I thinking? What might taichou think about me now? How can I face him? Will he hate me? Does he even feel the same way…oh no, don't go there!"_ Thousands of questions played in her mind.

**Flashback**

**Sakura was forced to stumble forward. Toushiro was shocked. Any seconds now Sakura would have fallen onto him and both will fall onto the floor…instead she grabbed his shoulders for support and accidentally pressed her lips to his. **

**Both stared wide-eye at each other. Neither even made a single move to break away. They stayed like that for a while. **_**"What…Why? Taichou's not pulling away…"**_** They kept staring at each other and stayed in their current position. Sakura blushed as she began to close her eyes. She attempted to deepen the kiss, but Toushiro had pulled away slightly.**

"**Haruno…"**

**Then it hit her. Sakura realized what she was doing and backed away from him. Her blush deepened. She was surprised to see her Captain blushing too. Both looked around them. Luckily no one was watching the whole scene. Sakura hung her head. "I'm very sorry, Hitsugaya-taichou," she apologized and took more steps back. It took a while before Toushiro spoke. "It's ok." Sakura shot up her head immediately to look at him but he was already gone.**

**She couldn't see him in the crowds. There were just too many people at the party. Sakura didn't move. Then, she touched her lips with her fingers. She bit her bottom lip.**

"**That was so unexpected!"**

**She heard someone's handphone ringing. She turned around to see Renji speaking on the phone. Later, the group who were playing truth or dare stood up. When Shuuhei caught Sakura's eyes, he approached her.**

"**A Shinigmai just called. He said that Captain Yamamoto cancelled our mission. We should head back to Soul Society right now," he said. Sakura nodded without saying a word. Fifteen minutes later, all the Shinigamis, excluding Ichigo, left the party. Toushiro and Sakura kept avoiding each other's eyes and Rangiku noticed this.**

**End of flashback.**

Sakura got out of bed. Hikari no Tsubasa had already disappeared. She changed into her Shinigami outfit and left her apartment to start her work.

X

Walking down the hallway leading to her Captain's office, her heart couldn't stop racing faster. She was carrying lots of paper that she received this morning. Those papers needed to be handed to Toushiro. _"Looks like taichou will have more paperwork today."_

She stopped at the doors of Toushiro's office. They were slightly closed. She heaved a sigh. _"Relax! Try to pretend that nothing has happened last night. It was all just an accident!"_ Satisfied, she began to push the door with her arm since her hands were carrying the papers. Before she could push it any further, she heard people talking in the room. One was definitely Toushiro but the other person has a soft voice.

"So, is that what happened last night in Kurosaki-san's house? It must be fun playing those games," she giggled.

"Yeah, I only watched them. I didn't join," Toushiro said. He continued reading his book. He felt very relieved that he has done all his paperwork. His desk was completely empty right now.

"Why not, Hitsugaya-kun?"

"It's a silly game…"

Outside the office, Sakura was eavesdropping. _"That voice…it's Momo-chan."_ She rested her back against the door. _"I wonder what is it between Hitsugaya-taichou and Momo-chan… They're having smooth conversation in there…And she's the only one here that calls him Hitsugaya-kun…" _

"I have to go now, Hitsugaya-kun. See you later," Momo said. Toushiro nodded.

Sakura moved away from the door to let it open. Momo came face to face with Sakura.

"Oh Sakura, good morning!" Momo greeted and smiled. Toushiro was shocked to hear the name. He closed his book and looked at the door. Momo looked at the papers Sakura was carrying and giggled.

"Looks like you have more work, Hitsugaya-kun," she said. Later she disappeared. Toushiro and Sakura stared at each other. "Hinamori was just stopping by to tell me that Ukitake needed to see me later," Toushiro said. Sakura nodded and stepped into the office slowly. Silence filled the room. _"Careful, I don't want to fall again like the last time."_ She managed to put all those papers on Toushiro's desk. She smiled but her face was blushing.

"More paperwork again, taichou!" she said. Toushiro didn't complain about the paperwork like he always did. His attention was more focused on Sakura. "Thanks for bringing them in," he said. "No problem," said Sakura. Then, Rangiku came in. She felt a different atmosphere filling the room.

"Taichou… Sakura …" Both Toushiro and Sakura looked at Rangiku.

"What is it, Matsumoto?" Toushiro asked.

"Captain Yamamoto assigned us on another mission just for the three of us. Few hollows have appeared in Konoha Village, Shinobi world. Because there were not many of them, the ninjas had defeated all of them. Captain Yamamoto said that we should stay there for while in case more hollows will come," Rangiku explained. Toushiro stood up from his seat.

"Understood," he said. With that, the three of them headed to the Soukyoku Hill.

X

**Konoha Village, Shinobi World**

It was a fine day in Konoha village. Rangiku enjoyed feeling the warm breeze caressing her skin as she sat on the bench near the Konohagakure gate. Toushiro, who was standing, stared up at the sky above him with his hands in his pockets. Both Shinigamis were in their faux bodies.

"Hitsugaya-taichou! Rangiku-san!"

Both said persons looked at the direction of the person calling. It was Sakura. She sat beside Rangiku on the bench. "I already told shishou…I mean Hokage-sama about us being here. So what do you guys wanna do?" she asked. Rangiku grinned. Sakura gulped. _"Please no more shopping! I've had enough last night in Karakura town!"_

Then, someone's stomach growled. Rangiku and Sakura stared at each other. They shrugged. Both turned to Toushiro. His back was facing them. Sakura went in front of him. He was crossing his arms over his chest. Then, she heard his stomach growled…again.

"Are you hungry, Hitsugaya-taichou?" she asked. Toushiro didn't answer. "I guess that's a yes. Come one, I'll take you to a restaurant!" she said and walked ahead. Toushiro and Rangiku followed.

Later, they arrived at a fairly large restaurant. "This is one of the best restaurants that you can find in Konoha. You guys will love it. See you later!" Sakura then ran at a different direction. "Where are you going, Sakura? Aren't you going to join us?" Rangiku asked. "Nahh… I don't feel hungry. I'm going to see my teammates," she said and disappeared into a puff of smoke.

X

Naruto and Kakashi were training at the Team 7 usual training grounds. Sai was nearby. He just finished sparring with Naruto and now he was taking a break. Then, the three of them felt a familiar chakra coming towards them. "Could it be…" Naruto said. Sai got up from the ground.

Sakura came out of the bushes. "Naruto! Sai! Kakashi-sensei!" she exclaimed. "Sakura-chan!" Naruto waved at her. Sakura approached her teammates. "I'm so happy to see you guys," she said.

"How are you, Sakura?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm fine Kakashi-sensei, thanks!"

"So why are you here, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked. "Well… Taichou, Rangiku-san and I have a mission here just in case if more hollows will appear," she said. Her teammates nodded. "Say, how about we go to Ichiraku ramen stand? It's on me!" Naruto said. Sakura was amazed to hear what Naruto have just said. "Really?" he nodded.

"Wanna come, Sai?" he asked.

"Sure, dickless." A vein popped in Naruto's head.

"Why you… Hmph! You'll just pay for yourself then!" Naruto said. He was angered by the comment.

"Aw come on Naruto don't be like that," Sakura said.

"Hmph!" Naruto responded. The pink-haired girl sighed.

"Kakashi-sensei, you wanna come with us?" Sakura asked. It took a while before Kakashi could answer. "I think I'll pass. You three have fun," he said. He then disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Let's go then!" Sakura said. She pulled Naruto's and Sai's wrists and brought them to the famous ramen stand.

X

"Another bowl of ramen for me, please old man!" That was Naruto. He had eaten five bowls of ramen while Sai and Sakura were still having their first. "_Naruto, you haven't change,"_ thought Sakura and smiled. She turned to Sai who was sitting on her left. Naruto was on her right. Sai looked back at her.

"I'm glad that you're still in the team, Sai," she said. Sai simply nodded. Sakura smiled. She continued eating her ramen. After her bowl was empty, she heard something ringing. She took out her handphone from her pocket.

'**Rangiku calling…**' She hit the answer button and spoke.

"Hello?"

"Sakura! Can you meet me at the Konoha's Hot Springs? I think they're wonderful! Join me and taichou, please!" Rangiku said.

"No, I don't want to…" Someone on the other line said. It was clear to Sakura that it was Toushiro.

"Aw come on taichou! Hot springs are great! You need to relax for once in a while!" Rangiku said. Sakura could hear Toushiro sighing on the other line. That meant that he surrendered.

"Great… Wait for me. I'll be there in a few minutes!" Sakura got up from her seat. "See you later guys!" Before she could step out of the place, Sai grabbed her wrist. Sakura was surprised by this. "Sakura, can I see you later at our training place?" Sakura didn't have much time to ask why so she just nodded. Sai let go of her wrist. She then walked away from the ramen stand.

"_That was weird."_

X

Rangiku and Sakura stepped out of the hot springs. "Ahh! Wasn't that great, Sakura?" "Yes it was, Rangiku-san! It's been a long time since I came here," Sakura said. Both of them sat on a bench outside. They were waiting for Toushiro. "Looks like taichou likes it here. Can you believe it, we finished before him," Rangiku said. Sakura giggled.

"What are you talking about?" Both were startled. They turned around to see Toushiro.

"I finished earlier than you two. I just took a stroll around the place," he said. Rangiku grinned.

"So where do you wanna go next, taichou?" Rangiku asked. Toushiro sighed. "This is not a vacation, Matsumoto."

Then, Sai just happened to pass by. He was carrying his drawing equipments. "Sai!" Sakura called. Sai turned to Sakura. "You wanted to see me right?" He nodded. She turned to the Shinigamis. "I'll see you guys later, okay?" She then ran to Sai's side. They walked together side-by-side to the direction of team 7's training grounds. Toushiro watched the two intently.

"Matsumoto, we should split and observe our surroundings. Maybe we can find some clue about the hollows," he said. Rangiku simply nodded and both went on their separate ways.

X

"So why did you want to see me, Sai?" Sakura asked as they stepped into the clearing. Sai took out his sketchpad and turned to a certain page. He then showed the drawing to Sakura. Sakura stared at the picture in awe. "Oh my God…."

Unknown to both of them, someone was watching them from behind the bushes.

Sakura grabbed the sketchpad and stared into the drawing. "Did you draw this, Sai?" Sai nodded. "But why did you draw me?" He simply shrugged. Sakura observed the drawing once more. "You drew this in the library…" she said. She looked at him in the eyes. "Can I keep this?" Sai was shocked to hear it but he nodded anyway.

"On one condition," he said.

"What is it?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Well?"

"I draw another picture of you," he finally said. Sakura was more shocked to hear it. "Okay then," she said. Sai guided her to a nearby tree. He asked her to stand there while he drew her. "Is that alright?" he asked. Sakura simply nodded. Sai sat on the ground and took out a new sketchpad. He turned to a fresh page and started to draw. Sakura blushed whenever Sai looked at her.

Few minutes later, Sai was done. He showed Sakura the new drawing. "It's beautiful," she said. When she looked at him, he was staring at her. She blushed and looked away. _"Something's wrong here…"_ she thought.

Then, the person behind the bushes came out. Sai and Sakura's attention turned to the person immediately. Sakura widened her eyes.

"Hitsugaya-taichou…"

"Are you done, Haruno?" Toushiro asked as he came to Sakura's side. Sakura nodded. Toushiro didn't know what came to him, but he couldn't resist the urge to glare at Sai. What happened next shocked Sakura more. Toushiro grabbed her wrist. "Let's go then. We must carry out our mission in this village," he said and pulled Sakura with him out of the field.

Sai watched them go. He had another strange feeling coming to him.

**-End of Chapter 10-**

* * *

**Next Chapter: What's wrong with Hitsugaya-taichou?**

**(A/N: I'm very sorry for the long wait! I'm just too busy with stuffs. Thank you very much to all who reviewed. :D I really appreciate them! I hope you guys will continue reading this story. Btw, wanna know what's Sakura-chan's handphone looks like? See Naruto ending 13. XD) **


	11. What's wrong with Hitsugaya taichou?

From Two Different Dimensions

Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto whereas Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.

Chapter 11: What's wrong with Hitsugaya-taichou?

* * *

_Sakura_

SHE was the first one that came into his mind that morning. Toushiro sighed as he made his way down the hallway that leads to his office. His mind was completely messed up. It all started after the 'kissing' incident. He didn't know what has gotten into him, but a certain pink-haired kunoichi…or rather Shinigami, has always been occupying his mind.

And he didn't like that idea, not at all. Because of it, he couldn't give full concentration on his work. Sometimes, instead of writing reports on his paper, he'd accidentally write down her name. Rangiku who often saw it will only giggle while he sighed in annoyance.

Then, he remembered the time when he, Sakura and Rangiku were in Konoha village few days ago. His actions at the training field still remained in his head. The way he observed Sai drawing Sakura from behind the bushes, the way he glared at Sai, and the way he pulled Sakura gently with him out of the forest…made him realized that he was…

jealous.

"_No, I'm not jealous. Why should I be jealous?" _He kept on repeating that sentence ever since that incident happened. He just couldn't accept the fact that he was jealous. That kind of feeling should not exist in the young captain's heart… at least he thought he shouldn't.

Once he stepped in to his office, he saw Sakura doing his paperwork at his desk…again. Sakura looked up. Then it happened again- silence. Silence fell upon the room. That will be the first thing to happen when the two saw each other the first time in the morning.

"Good morning," Both said in unison. Sakura continued doing her work. "It's okay Hitsugaya-taichou… I can handle this work," she said as she scribbled on the paper. Toushiro didn't respond, instead he went to the couch and sat on it. _"I could use some rest."_

Few hours have passed and neither talked. The room was so quiet the whole time. Sakura was still doing the paperwork while the other guy in the room had just finished reading a book. That had got to be Sakura's breaking record…Because in her life, she was never used to this awful silence that lasts for a very long time. However, at that day hours seemed like minutes.

Sakura felt a pair of eyes bore into her. She pretended not noticing it and kept on writing. Toushiro stared at Sakura more. His eyes observed her features until he saw her blushing. He didn't break his gaze away from her for a very long time. He was too focused at her that he didn't realize that she was now in front of him. "Something wrong, Hitsugaya-taichou?" she asked. Toushiro gasped. His back stumbled against the chair. Invisible blush crept up his cheeks.

"N-no…" He stuttered. Sakura nodded before returning to the desk. Toushiro sighed. _"Why is she always in my head?"_

X

Somewhere in Seireitei, few Lieutenants of the Gotei 13 were having tea by the river. Present were Renji, Shuuhei, Rangiku and Momo. They were having different kinds of conversation. They talked about the strange occurrences in both living world and Shinobi world. Then, they switched to random conversations.

"So, any other stories you guys wanna share?" Renji asked. Shuuhei shrugged. Momo was trying to find a good topic in her head while Rangiku was thoughtful for a while. Suddenly, she grinned. "What is it, Matsumoto?" Shuuhei asked in a curious tone.

"You won't believe it… but taichou is not himself lately," Rangiku said. The men at the table were interested in hearing the rest of the conversation. Momo raised an eyebrow. "I think taichou is… lovesick," Rangiku grinned. Momo coughed at the statement and shot Rangiku a questioning look. Renji and Shuuhei burst out laughing that they almost fell from their own chair.

"No way, Matsumoto! Are you serious? Who's the girl?" Renji asked. "The genius Hitsugaya-taichou is…lovesick?" Shuuhei repeated while still laughing. Rangiku smiled broadly and shook her head. "Aw, come on Matsumoto you must've known the girl!" Renji begged to know. In Rangiku's mind, she knew exactly who the person is. She spent most of her time working with Toushiro and noticed his sudden changing behaviour. For instance, he spaced out during work which he has never done before. Toushiro was always concentrated to his work. And whenever Sakura entered his office, he would tense up a bit. It was obvious.

Rangiku caught Momo still shooting her a questioning look. It took a while before she said, "Just kidding!" and laughed. Momo rolled her eyes. Renji and Shuuhei's smirk faded. Their expression changed to somewhat a disappointing look.

"Darn it. I thought it was for real!" Shuuhei said and took a sip of his tea. Renji could only sigh. Momo finished her tea before she got up and ready to leave. Her excuse was she had a work to do. Rangiku stared up at the sky and smiled.

X

After finished writing the last sentence of the report, she exclaimed, "Done!" Sakura let out a sigh of relief and stretched out her muscles. She looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It read exactly 7.30 p.m. "Whoa it's night time already!" Turning to her side, she saw her Captain's figure lying on the couch, his back facing her. "Must be sleeping," she said in a low voice. She went closer to Toushiro until they were inches away.

"Hitsugaya-taichou, are you awake?"

"I'm sleeping," came his voice.

Sakura sweatdropped._"Guess not!"_ Toushiro got up and rested his back against the chair. Sakura sat beside him. Both were silent before Sakura broke it. "Ne, taichou?" "Hm?" Toushiro responded. "I finished all your paperwork…and I'm tired," she said. "Is that so? Thank you for your help. You should get some re-" His sentence was cut when Sakura's head rested on top of his shoulder. "Haruno…"

Sakura closed her eyes. "I hope you don't mind… I'm very tired, Hitsugaya-taichou." Toushiro stared at her face. _"What is this girl thinking? What if she fell asleep? Should I let her sleep here in this office or bring her to her apartment?" _He thought. Then, he realized that her face was red. _"Is she blushing?"_ Her calm breathing had turned into light panting. _"What's wrong?"_ He touched her forehead. To his surprise, it was hot.

"Haruno, are you okay?" Toushiro asked. Sakura's breathings became heavier. He held her wrist. "You have a fever-" "…taichou," she breathed. Toushiro lay her down on the couch. Sakura began to sweat. He observed her for a while before he headed towards the door. "Taichou…where…are you…going?" Sakura said between breaths. "I'm going to get someone from the 4th Division squad and let him or her see you." With that, Toushiro dashed out of the room.

X

"She's got not enough rest for a very long time. I heard that she constantly trained everyday. That's why right now, she's having a fever. On top of that, the weather nowadays is kinda cold," A Shinigami from the 4th Division squad explained as he observed Sakura's weak form on the couch. He had finished checking her. Toushiro listened carefully. He stared into Sakura's half-lidded eyes, they looked weak. Then, it surprised both Toushiro and the other Shinigami that Sakura got up from the couch. She lowered her feet to the ground slowly.

"I'm sorry Hitsugaya-taichou for bothering you… I'll just go back to my apartment and rest. I'll be fi-" She lost her balance and almost fell. Luckily, the medic Shinigami caught her. "Haruno, don't push yourself! You should rest," Toushiro said a bit angered. Sakura could sense a hint of worriedness in his tone. "He's right, Haruno-san. If you wanted to return to your apartment, I'll gladly bring you there," the medic Shinigami turned to Toushiro for approval. The young Captain nodded.

The medic Shinigami carried Sakura bridal style and set off to her apartment. Toushiro watched them go.

By the time the medic Shinigami arrived at the front door of Sakura's apartment, the pink-haired Shinigami in his arms had fallen asleep. Fortunately, the door was unlocked. He set her down on her bed and left a couple of medicines on the table beside her bed for her to take. He put the sheets over her body before he headed towards the door. Then, he heard her murmured…

"Hitsugaya-taichou…"

X

**Konoha Village, Shinobi World**

"More hollows are coming!" Someone shouted. Everyone in the village screamed as their settlements were destroyed by the fierce hollows. All ANBUs and powerful ninjas took down the hollows one by one.

Kakashi jumped from tree to tree in search for a hollow. He held the communicator in his ear. "Tenzo, how is it going over there? More hollows?" "Yes, I'm fighting them right now," Yamato replied. Kakashi sighed. Of all time, why do the hollows have to come during midnight?

"Kakashi-sensei!" Kakashi stopped on a tree branch and turned around to see Naruto. "Kakashi-sensei, I came as you told me to," Naruto said. Kakashi nodded. They continued their journey towards the hollows.

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society**

Though feeling her head heavy, she managed to open her eyes just to find herself in her own bed. She caught a glimpse of her medicines on the table beside her. She got a glass of water from the kitchen and took her medicines. Satisfied, she lied in bed and touched her forehead. It felt a bit hot.

"_I wonder what made me wake up at this kind of time," _she thought and looked at the nearest digital clock. It was one in the morning. She sighed and tried to go back to sleep. Then, she smelt something. The smell was faint at first but then it became smelly. To her horror, it was smoke. Something was burning! She dashed to her kitchen to see if there was something burning in there. To her relief, nothing happened there.

Curious, she went outside. Her eyes widened at the sight of a building on fire about a kilometre away. Many Shinigamis had gathered around the area. Sakura planned to do the same, but her current sickness won't let her. Suddenly, her head hurt. She groaned and clutched the railing of the balcony for support.

"_No, I can't just stand here doing nothing! I must go and see if I could help."_ She forced her heavy feet to walk. When she reached the ground, she began to run towards the scene.

Upon reaching the area of where the huge fire was, Sakura stumbled across Momo.

"Momo-chan!"

"Oh, Sakura! Glad to see you. There're some injured Shinigamis that needed treatment as soon as possible. I think you better tend to them!" Momo said. "Got it! Thanks for telling me, Momo-chan," Sakura said and was about to run when her head hurt once more. She clutched her head.

"Sakura, are you alright?" Momo asked and grabbed her shoulders. Sakura gave a weak smile. "Yeah I'm fine. Just a bit tired," she lied. Before Momo could touch her forehead, Sakura had dashed towards the building.

X

After receiving the hell butterfly's message, Toushiro got up from his bed and stepped out of his room and observed the silent hallway. He was only wearing the normal Shinigami clothes without the white haori. He didn't take another step when he felt a certain reiatsu coming. He looked to his left and saw someone running passed him. Sensing his presence, she skidded to a halt. Turning around, she saw him.

"Hitsugaya-taichou!"

"Haruno."

Silence fell upon them, but this time, Toushiro broke it. "Aren't you supposed to be resting? You have a fever!" "I need to heal some Shinigamis who're injured in the next building! You see, there is a building on fire and I must heal the victims!" Sakura shot back. Toushiro narrowed his eyes and stepped closer to the female Shinigami.

"There are lots of Shinigamis from the 4th Division squad who can handle the injured ones. You're just going to worsen your fever, do you know that?" Toushiro said. Sakura was about to say something instead she collapsed against his chest. Toushiro grabbed her shoulders. Her breathings increased again. "I told you, Haruno. You need to rest." "Bu…But…" "Keep quiet." Sakura pressed a hand to his chest and stared into his eyes. He was beginning to sweat. She shook her head and backed away from him.

"I'm sorry… but why do you care so much?" Toushiro was dumbfounded. Sakura had to ask. She noticed how he hurried to get a help from the medic Shinigami in the office and she had observed his worried expressions. "Haruno, you're a comrade," he said. But something inside him made him feel that it was more than that, much to his annoyance because it was nonsense. Sakura is **only** a comrade, and not more than that.

"Taichou!" came in Rangiku with a worrying face. Toushiro and Sakura were surprised by her sudden appearance. "How did it happen? I mean the fire?" she asked. Toushiro turned to look at her. "I just got a message from Hisagi through the hell butterfly. He told me that a careless Shinigami living in the next building had accidentally dropped a lit candle onto a flammable item. Consequently, everyone who's been sleeping in the same building were hurt," Toushiro explained.

Sakura and Rangiku's jaw almost dropped. That was very dangerous, they thought. "So how is the situation right now?" Toushiro asked. "They're extinguishing the fire. If it doesn't work, which is possible because the fire is too huge, they'll need your help since you have the power of ice, taichou," Rangiku said. Toushiro nodded and headed towards his room to get his haori and katana. Sakura coughed and fell on her knees.

"Sakura, are you alright?" Rangiku asked and went to her side. Toushiro did the same. "Haruno has a fever. It's bad if she stays here. The smell of ashes is unpleasant to her condition," Toushiro told Rangiku. "Should I take her back to her apartment?" Rangiku asked. "No, it's too far. Just let her stay in my room," he said. Sakura wanted to protest but she was too weak. Rangiku helped her up on her feet and brought her to Toushiro's bed.

"Have you eaten your medicine, Haruno?" Toushiro asked. Sakura nodded in response. She was sweating. Toushiro and Rangiku took one last glance at Sakura before they went out to the next building.

Later, Sakura fell asleep.

X

Sakura opened her eyes slowly. Her head still hurt. She got up slowly and found out that she wasn't in her own room. Remembering what happened last night, she began to realize where she was right now. She saw a clock that read ten past seven in the morning.

"Shit! I overslept in taichou's room!"

"Would you keep it down?" Sakura gasped and turned to see Toushiro lying on the couch. He got up slowly and yawned. "Hitsugaya-taichou… I'm sorry," Sakura said. Toushiro got up from the couch to look at her. He raised an eyebrow. "What are you apologizing for?" he asked. Sakura held a confused look. "Because of me, you slept on the couch…" "-Haruno, it's fine," he said. "If you're feeling well enough, you should go back to your apartment and take your medicine. You can have a day off," he added.

Sakura nodded dumbly. Before Toushiro stepped out of the room to start his day, Sakura asked looking at his back, "What happened last night?" Toushiro faced her once more. He approached the bed and stopped to place both hands on the bed. Sakura blushed at their closeness.

"We managed to put out the fire. All the injured Shinigamis only received minor injuries. They're Shinigamis so a fire like that, to them, is nothing big really," Toushiro said. Sakura nodded. She was facing down as she was too shy to look into the Captain's eyes directly. Then, Toushiro handed something to her. It was a letter. Sakura took it from his hand.

"Who's it from?" she asked. "Uzumaki," he answered. Sakura felt a bit happy at the mention of her teammate's name. "How…" "-I went to Konoha village last night with some other Shinigamis. Several hollows had made their attack again. Uzumaki asked me if I could give this letter to you. So I just accepted," he explained. "Thanks," Sakura said. _"A letter from Naruto…"_

Toushiro watched as Sakura read the short letter with a smile on her face. Then, he remembered everything that happened between the two of them such as the incident at the party in Ichigo's house. _"To forget and not think about everything that had happened…" _"Hitsugaya-taichou… Aren't you going for work?" Sakura asked, confused that Toushiro was still standing by the bed. "…Is easier said than done," he finished loudly. Sakura raised an eyebrow. _What?_ she thought. After a few moments, Toushiro left the room.

"What's wrong with Hitsugaya-taichou?"

**-End of Chapter 11-**

* * *

**Next Chapter: A get-together!**

**(A/N: I know I haven't updated for a very long time. I apologize for that. Writer's block sucks! And I'm very busy with school too X(. I know this chapter's not much, but at least there's something. ;) Alright, about the next chapter, it'll be a get-together among the Konoha 11... I mean 10, lol Sakura-chan's in Soul Society. So the whole chapter will be focused on those guys. **

**Because Sakura-chan, who is everyone's favourite character in this story, won't be in the next chapter, I planned to make a special chapter with a little Hitsu and Saku moments. It's going to be AU. I know some of you don't like AUs. XD Well, some people usually don't like them. **

**Anyway, thank you for all the reviews. :D I really appreciate them! I'll try my best to update as soon as possible. **


	12. Konoha 10 Get Together & Special Story

From Two Different Dimensions

Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto whereas Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.

Chapter 12: A Get-Together! And a Special chapter.

* * *

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm a Shinigami!!" Naruto shouted. His voice echoed through the air and everything became silent immediately. Everyone in the house raised their eyebrows and their eyes were staring at the doorway. Kiba regretted that he had offered to get the door just to find Naruto in a Shinigami outfit and deafened Kiba with Naruto's loud voice.

It took a while before someone spoke, "Where…the hell did you get that outfit, Naruto?" Everyone else agreed with the question Shikamaru just asked. Naruto's grin widened. "Well, I-"

"…why don't you come in first, Naruto," Tenten offered. Naruto stepped into the living room while Kiba closed the door. "Thanks for inviting me to your house, Tenten," Naruto said.

He looked around. He saw team eight, team ten and also team Gai in the room. Only their sensei_s_ were uninvited. "No problem," Tenten said and smiled. Naruto sighted the refreshment tables and ran to them just to drool over them. "Whoa! I love this!" he said and grabbed some random food that he liked. Chouji joined him. They began to devour some food. "Naruto, you haven't answered Shikamaru's question yet," Ino said.

"Yeah… I'm curious. Where did you get that outfit?" Kiba asked.

"Aght Syakuwachagnshh houshh…"

"Naruto… Oh my God. Swallow first, will you?" Tenten cut in. Naruto did what he was told to before he repeated what he just said earlier. "At Sakura-chan's house." Now everyone was more curious. "What were you doing there? And isn't Sakura-san supposed to be wearing that all the time in Soul Society, Naruto-kun?" Lee asked.

"I was bored so I went to her house. And this outfit I'm wearing right now is just a spare. She left it in her house." Everyone sweatdropped.

"He was bored so he went to Sakura's house?" Tenten, who was very confused, whispered to Ino. "I don't mind that… but ugh… Sakura forgot to lock the doors again!" Ino said and rolled her eyes. "That costume amazingly fits his body," Kiba said in a low voice. Hinata, who was sitting beside him, blushed. In her opinion, Naruto looked handsome in that outfit.

That day was the day of getting together for the Konoha eleven. It was all Tenten's idea. Lately, everyone was very busy with their own matters such as going on missions, missions, and more missions. So she decided to have this party at her house and she was glad that everyone came. It has been a very long time since they gathered.

"I'm glad that everyone came. Thanks to Ino, who had offered to call and send messages and invite everyone to this party, everyone came! Sadly, Sakura couldn't come because you know… she's in Soul Society. We didn't miss anyone, did we?" Tenten asked and looked around.

_From team eight… Kiba, Shino and Hinata- check. _

_From team ten… Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji- check. _

_Team seven? Naruto and…just him- check. _

_And last but not least, my team: Neji and Lee- check_.

"No, we didn't! I invited everyone!" Ino exclaimed proudly. Suddenly, "Where's Sai?" Naruto asked.

Ino's expression changed. "Shoot…I forgot to invite him."

X

Sai was doing his usual routine that he always did when he was free from missions- drawing on canvas. He was in a peaceful moment in his apartment when he suddenly shivered. He stopped his paintings immediately.

"Why do I feel like I'm being left out?"

X

"I think Neji would look great in that outfit," Tenten said. Neji gave her a questioning look. She giggled. "I agree with Tenten!" Lee exclaimed. After all, Neji always wear traditional-like outfits. The said jounin glared at him. "What are you two saying? You want me to wear that?" Neji asked and pointed to Naruto. The latter overheard this and smirked inwardly. _"This should be fun,"_ he thought evilly.

"Come on Neji. That outfit suits you, right Hinata?" Tenten turned to Hinata. The shy girl nodded in response. Neji rolled his eyes. "Let me repeat… What are you saying? Do you want me to wear that outfit?" Tenten smiled and turned to Naruto.

"If Naruto wants to-"

"Sure! I'll take this off now!" Naruto cut in and he was now facing his friends. Everyone looked at him in horror, especially the girls. Hinata's blushed increased when Naruto began to tug on his shirt and lowered it down slowly. Shino looked disgusted and turned away. The kunoichi_s _shut their eyes close.

Sighs of relief were heard when they found out that Naruto was wearing a black t-shirt and a long pants underneath the Shinigami outfit. Naruto narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "You guys didn't think I would strip naked in front of you all, did you?" Everyone laughed. Naruto tossed the Shinigami dress at Neji. Neji caught it before he put it aside. "I'm not going to wear it."

Lee and Tenten pouted slightly in disappointment. Naruto held an evil grin. _"He will. I'll get my chances." _Later, people opened a new conversation and they talked smoothly with each other.

"How I wish Sakura was here. It'll be more fun if she's with us," Ino said.

"I wonder how she's doing. I think she's now much stronger," Tenten said.

"I envy her."

"I miss Sakura-chan…"

"Naruto, you said that like the fifth time today," Kiba told him.

"Nnaruto-k-kun…" Hinata stuttered.

"I wonder what type of training Sakura-san undergoes in Soul Society? I haven't seen her new powers yet," Lee said.

"Probably brutal…" Neji stated.

"No way! Ninja trainings are way more brutal than whatever kind of training they have there," Naruto stated.

"Whatever."

"What kind of place is it, I mean, Soul Society?" Tenten asked.

"Who knows… maybe full of ghosts since spirits live there," Naruto said. Everyone rolled their eyes.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru spoke.

"Next time when she came back here, I'll make sure that she remembers to lock the doors," Ino said.

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society**

"Achooo!!" Sakura sneezed. She grabbed a tissue paper and wiped her nose. Toushiro looked up from his desk to see Sakura, who was sitting on the couch.

"Haruno, you're still sick. Don't you think you should rest?" Sakura shook her head.

"No! I want to finish this novel I'm reading! It's so good!" Sakura said.

"What are you reading?"

"This! It's a romance novel that has a very interesting plot!" Sakura held the book up and showed Toushiro the cover. However, it was kind of a bad idea. Big words 'I LOVE YOU' was entitled on the cover. Toushiro blushed. He shook his head and continued doing the paperwork while Sakura continued reading the book.

X

**Konoha Village, Shinobi world.**

Naruto yawned widely. He was so tired from the missions he has been getting lately. He had gone on a mission, and then came back just to fight hollows that appeared in the village. And in the morning, he was then assigned on a new escort mission and came back to the village just to have more training with Kakashi, followed by another mission on the next day and more hollow fighting that could drag till midnight. As a result, he had no rest.

"Nowadays suck," he mumbled. Then, he spotted Neji standing up from his seat. _"Where is he going?"_ Naruto saw him walking to the direction of the bathroom. He smirked and followed him with his chakra hidden. _"Now's my chance!"_ Naruto saw the bathroom door closed and heard a 'click' sound, indicating that Neji had locked the door. Naruto performed few handseals.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

With that, two clones appeared. "Hold onto the doorknob and don't let Neji get out of there, ok?" The two clones nodded. They stood in front of the door and prepared to do their task. Naruto went back to the living room and grabbed the Shinigami outfit which was lying on the couch. He hid in a spot where nobody would see him.

After he changed into the Shinigami uniform, he made a handseal. "Henge!" And the blonde ninja had turned into a dark, long-haired man.

X

Tenten looked at the refreshment table. Everything was finished. Everyone had eaten every single food that was previously served on the table. She decided to make more and turned to the other two girls. "Hey, do you want to help me in the kitchen making some more food?" she asked.

"Sure, better than just sitting here," Ino said and Hinata nodded. The three of them made their way to the kitchen… But then…

"Hi guys!" Everyone turned to look at Neji…in a Shinigami outfit. "Neji!" Tenten exclaimed and held her hands to her chest. Everyone else couldn't believe what they were seeing right now. It shocked them more when suddenly Neji grinned.

"I finally wear this outfit! Satisfied?" he said. Everyone couldn't say a word. Neji never…smiled like that, which brought them to a conclusion that something was wrong.

X

Neji tried to open the door, but he couldn't. "What's wrong with this door?" He was sure that he had unlocked the door, but something was preventing him from opening it. Then, he heard small voices from the other side of the door. He pressed his ears to it to get a clear sound.

"Don't hold it too strong, you're squeezing my hand!"

"But Neji will come out if we don't hold this darn doorknob tightly!"

"What if you break it? Tenten will get mad at us!"

"No, it won't break! Just hold onto it until Naruto comes back!"

Neji gritted his teeth. He was very annoyed. "Naruto…." He muttered in a hateful tone. There was silence before…

"Jyuuken!" Neji attacked the door and his fist went through it until he hit the clones. The clones disappeared in a puff of smoke from the impact. The loud sound attracted the attention of the people in the living room.

"_What's going on there?"_ Naruto, in Neji's disguise thought. Tenten got up immediately and rushed to the bathroom, where the loud noise was coming from. The rest of the people joined her. Tenten was horrified when she saw the broken door. The others were shocked to see another Neji. It took them a while before they realized which the fake one was. Naruto dropped his jutsu and was back to his normal form. He laughed sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head.

Before Tenten could throw a tantrum, Neji had knocked Naruto out. Poor Naruto landed on the floor flat on his face. "That's what you get for messing with me," Neji said and went back to the living room. "Poor Naruto," Chouji said while munching his potato chips. "Na-naruto-kun…" Hinata stuttered and went to his side. The owner of the house sighed. "Bring him to the room over there. He'll wake up eventually," she pointed to a door near the corner. "Tch, troublesome," Shikamaru and Hinata helped Naruto on his feet and brought him to the mentioned room.

X

"Do you think a war will take place here?"

"It's possible. Just look at the situation lately, the number of hollows coming here is increasing. Who knows, maybe some of the strongest hollows will come here."

"What do you mean, Shino?"

"What Shino was saying is that there are different types of hollows. There's the strongest type, which is the menos-class hollows. They're much stronger than the normal hollows we've seen."

"You're wrong. There's another type of hollow which is much stronger than that."

"What?"

"No way!"

"Yes. As a medic ninja, I spend some of my time with Hokage-sama in the office after our training. When she went out to get a drink, I'd looked through some files about the hollows."

"So what did you find out?"

"Ino?"

"Another type is called Arrancar."

"Arrancar?"

"An arrancar is a hollow which has removed its mask in order to gain Shinigami powers. It also had a humanoid form."

"You know too, Shikamaru?"

"…Yeah"

"Things are going to get very troublesome from now on."

X

Naruto opened his eyes slowly and found himself lying on a futon. He yawned. "What just happened? Oh yeah, Neji knocked me out. Damn, I was so careless to dodge it," he chuckled and closed his eyes. "I could use some sleep." He pulled the sheets over his body.

Not more than five seconds, he got up to his feet. "It's hot in here." He took off his clothes until he was only in his boxers and went back to sleep.

X

An hour later.

"I wonder why we still haven't got any response from Soul Society? They said they're going to tell us what caused the hollows to come here."

"It's not easy to find answers for that, Tenten. The Shinigamis are still working on it, from what I've heard."

"I know, Neji. Do you think they'll need our cooperation?"

"Maybe…near the end."

"Near the end?"

"There's another strange thing. Why do the hollows come to this village only? I didn't hear any reports from other villages that stated hollows had attacked their place."

"Kiba-kkun, that…I d-don't know."

"Me neither."

Silence fell upon the room. Each one of them was in their own thoughts. They had to put their beloved village's safety to the main priority- that was what they were thinking. Growing up as a ninja, they knew which one is important…and which one is to sacrifice your life to. And now, they know which one is it.

"So from now on, we must train very hard to protect this village!" Everyone turned to the direction of where the voice was coming from. It was Naruto. He stood by the door with a serious face. His hands balled into fists. "Although we have other problems like dealing with the Akatsuki, we must handle this situation first," Naruto added with a serious tone. Everyone kept staring at him. No one dared to speak.

"This is the village where we grew up and live. We mustn't let it be destroyed by some creepy-looking spirits with funny masks! Right, guys?" Everyone didn't say a word. They only listened to what he had to say. "Right! Let's train our hardest from now on! We will win," Naruto punched his fist into the air before he retreated back to the room.

Unknown to him, the only reason why the people in the living room didn't respond to Naruto's statements, although they agreed with him so much, is because despite his serious face, he was only in his black boxers.

X

It was now 6.00 pm and everyone had to leave. Although they considered the time to be pretty early to go home, they had other things to do. Tenten watched as her friends bade farewell to each other, not forgetting to thank her for the wonderful party. Neji was the only one who was still glued to the doorstep while the others had gone back home.

"What's wrong Neji?"

"I'm sorry about the…door," he apologized.

Tenten smiled slightly. "It's ok. That door was broken anyway. I never had the time to get it repaired… but now I have a good reason to do it." She giggled after that. Neji nodded. He bade farewell to her before turning to leave.

"See you tomorrow. We'll have training with Gai-sensei."

X

Naruto walked along the bridge where the old Team 7 used to meet up. Boy, he really missed the old days. He stopped to look at his reflection in the water. He sighed, thinking over the village's current problematic situation. _"Why did the hollows have to come? Why did they mess with our village? And why did Sakura-chan have to go?"_ It only hindered him from getting Sasuke back. He looked up at the sky.

"Sakura-chan…"

X

**Sand (Suna) Village, Shinbobi World**

The door of the Kazekage's office was slammed open. Temari rushed in just to stare at her brother's back, who was looking out of the window into the clear night sky. She panted. The young Kazekage turned around to meet his sister.

"Temari, what's wrong?"

Temari was still panting. She wiped a sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand. The red-haired kazekage could see a mixture of fear and furious in her eyes. It took a while before Temari spoke…

"Hollows!"

**-End of Chapter 12-**

* * *

**Next chapter: Another problem emerges.**

**(A/N: This is more like a filler chapter, lol. Just to let you know... Now if you've noticed, I've added two more chapters in between chapters 12 and 13. So the former chapter 13 and so on had to bump back. The next chapter is supposed to be 'Forget about it, not' but I've got more ideas popped into of my head. XD **

**Ok as promised, here's the special chapter. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

**Her Crush**

There it was again.

Yes, again.

The high and loud squealing and screaming coming from his fangirls as he walked past them. It was like a celebrity who just stepped out of his or her limo and the next thing to happen was the wild screaming coming from the fans. Well, not quite.

The sixteen-year-old Haruno Sakura watched him as he entered through the school's main entrance with his usual calm face. His fangirls were following him from behind. He went to his locker and took out some books. After he got what he needed for class, he walked again, ignoring his fangirls. Sakura was standing by the window not far away from his locker. That was when he saw her. Sakura gulped and her body stiffened. He looked at her until he passed her. Sakura sighed.

_Hitsugaya Toushiro..._

"Sakura-chan!" Someone shouted from behind. "Naruto?" Naruto put an arm around her shoulder. "How's my favourite girl doing?" he asked with a foxy grin. "I'm just fine, Naruto. What are you having on first period?" Sakura asked. "Mathematics, you?" "Biology," Sakura replied. Naruto let go his arm off her. "Gotta go now, Sakura-chaaan! I've to meet up with my gang before class starts. See you later!" He then took off.

Sakura shook her head. Suddenly, her bestfriend Ino, greeted her. "Yo, Sakura! How are you? Ready for first class?" she asked. Sakura smiled. "I'm fine, how about you Ino? Yeah, let's go now. It's almost time." The two girls walked together across the school hallway, with books in their hands.

"So are you going with someone to the prom next week? I'm so excited!" Ino exclaimed. Sakura shook her head in response, which made Ino rolled her eyes. "Aw come on, Sakura! Why don't you ask someone like Sasuke-kun?" Sakura stopped her steps. Ino did the same as well. "Heck no! If I do that, his fangirls will attack me!" Sakura said. Ino laughed.

"Yeah now I remember. This school has so many fanclubs. There's one for Sasuke-kun, Neji-san, the Akatsuki gang and also Hitsu… What's his name again?" "Hitsugaya Toushiro," Sakura said quickly. Ino faced her and smirked. "Hey don't tell me you like the latter!" Sakura blushed. "Of course not! What the hell are you talking about?" Ino came closer to Sakura with a smirk still plastered on her face.

"Sakura, it's obvious. I've seen you keep staring at him every time he passed by you or when he's nearby. You're so easy to read…" "-shut up Ino. That's not true!" "Oh really? Hm… Oh look, it's Hitsugaya-kun!" Ino exclaimed and pointed a finger behind Sakura.

"Where?!" Sakura reacted quickly by turning around. She saw no one… except a few students chit chatting in the hallway. Sakura cursed herself for falling for the silly trick. She faced Ino once more and shot her a glare. Ino's smirk widened. "So you do like him," she said. "Ugh!" Sakura walked ahead of Ino. The latter followed. Later on they bumped into one of the Akatsuki gang, Deidara. He grinned when he saw the two. The two females stopped.

"Deidara, what are you doing here? Class is going to start soon!" Ino told him. Deidara shook his head.

"Nah, gonna skip class today, un. Will you tell the teacher I'm sick, Ino?" Ino rolled her eyes. "I don't tell lies to the teacher."

"Tch, whatever then, un," he turned his gaze to Sakura. "I've been waiting for ya, un."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" she asked.

He hesitated for a while before he spoke, "Will you go to the prom with me next week?"

Sakura widened her eyes. Ino was surprised.

"I heard you haven't got anyone to go with you, un" he added. Sakura shook her head slowly.

Deidara sighed. "I guess that's a no, eh?"

"Sorry."

He chuckled. "It's ok. I'm not really interested in going anyway. You girls have a nice day, un," He walked away from them and waved. When he was out of sight, Ino grabbed Sakura's shoulders.

"Forehead! Are you alright? What's wrong with you?" Ino asked, a bit angered.

"Dude…Oh, what did I do?" Sakura was confused.

"You just turned down Deidara… DEIDARA! One of the hottest male students in this school!" Ino shook her friend gently.

"Ino, I'm not interested in that guy."

"Aren't you afraid you're going to be dateless?"

"…" No response.

"Or…are you so desperate to go with Hitsugaya-kun?"

Sakura coughed. "What?"

The girls couldn't continue their arguments because the school bell rang. It was now time for class. Sakura and Ino dashed to their respective classrooms, not minding one of the school rules- no running in the hallway.

X

It was break time, and Sakura didn't leave her seat which was sited near the window. Her classmates had already gone out enjoying their lunch. She looked out of the window with her chin rested on her hand.

"_Who will go to the prom with me next week? Damn, I don't know,"_ she thought. _"Maybe I'm going to be dateless this year."_ She heaved a sigh. Then, she heard footsteps coming from outside of the class. She looked at the wide-opened door, waiting to see who the person was. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Sasuke walked past the classroom. She let out a sigh.

Then, without thinking she rushed out of the classroom and called him. "Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke turned around.

"Sakura…What is it?" he asked.

Sakura looked down. She closed her eyes before she said, "Will you go with me next week… to the prom?" She gulped. She was afraid of being rejected. Sasuke stared at her. He had a confused look on his face.

"I thought you already had a date, seeing that a lot of boys had asked you," he said. Sakura shook her head. "No…" Then, she saw Toushiro heading towards their direction. Sakura gasped and blushed. She was too shy to face him. "Sasuke-kun, never mind!" With that, she ran away. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "That was weird."

Sakura was turning around a corner when she bumped into someone. She almost fell but the other person reacted quickly by grabbing her wrist, preventing her from falling. "I'm sorry," she said. "You should be more careful," the person said.

Sakura opened her eyes and was shocked to see Toushiro. She blushed at theirs closeness and backed away quickly. She stared down at the floor and bit her lips. Her heart couldn't stop racing faster. This was her first time talking to him.

"From which class are you?" he asked.

"C-class…B. Year t-ten…" she stuttered. She was still not looking at him. This made Toushiro wondered why. "Hey what's wrong? Look at me," he said. Sakura looked up slowly. Her face was a bit red. He came forward which made Sakura's body stiffened. He stopped when he was just at an arm's length away from her.

"What's your name?" he asked. She was shocked at the question.

"H-Haruno Sakura…" she answered. He nodded before he walked away.

X

"Girls, what am I going to do?" Ino and Rukia watched their sad, dateless, pink-haired friend. Her face was on the table. The school canteen was so noisy that it deepened her sadness.

"Not my fault that you turned down every good-looking men that had asked you to go to the prom with them, forehead," Ino said calmly as she began to bite her sandwich. Rukia put a hand on top of her head in assurance. "Cheer up Sakura-san. I'm sure there's a guy that will ask you out," she reassured Sakura.

"Why don't you just ask Hitsugaya-kun?" Ino asked. Sakura shot her head up immediately. "If I do… One- I'll be attacked by his fangirls and two- he doesn't know who I am so there's a great possibility that he'll turn me down!" Sakura said.

_I've had a crush on him for a very long time._

Ino smirked. "So you do like him!" Sakura slapped her mouth. She sighed in defeat after that and rested her forehead on the table once more. "Hitsugaya? Isn't he going with Hinamori?" Rukia asked.

Ino almost spit out her food while Sakura raised her head again and stared wide-eye at Rukia. "Hinamori?" Both girls repeated. Rukia tapped her chin. "I'm not really sure about it. There are no rumours going on about it but you yourself have seen that they're pretty close together, right?"

"That's true... but I heard that they're just close friends and not more than that," Ino said. She saw Sakura look a bit more happy and relieved at Ino's statement. "You might be right," Rukia said. The girls continued eating their meal.

Then, someone joined them on the table. The three girls were startled.

"Sai-san, nice to meet you," Rukia greeted. Sai nodded. "I hope you don't mind for the intrusion," he said. Sakura and Ino stared at him with their mouths slightly agape. "Girls, let me introduce you to my friend, Sai. He lives next door to me so we know each other. He's in the same year as us, class A," Rukia introduced him to her friends.

"_He's hot…Why haven't I seen him around before?"_ Ino thought.

"_Wow…He's in the same class as Sasuke-kun,"_ Sakura thought.

Sai turned his attention to Sakura. "You're Haruno Sakura, right?" Sakura nodded slowly. He smiled. "Can I see you outside for a while? I need to talk to you," he requested. Without thinking again, Sakura nodded. "I'll be there in a while." Sai nodded and got up from his seat before disappearing into the crowds.

"Rukia, who's the hottie? Why haven't I seen him before?" Ino asked happily. Rukia chuckled. "That's because he always hid himself on the roof. There, he draws pictures. He's a good artist you know," Rukia explained. Ino nodded. "I wonder why he wanted to see you, Sakura?" Sakura shrugged. She got up and walked out of the canteen to meet Sai. Later, Ichigo came at the table. "Rukia, have you finished our Science project?" he asked.

"No. It's almost finished though."

"Let's continue it while we still have the time."

"Alright." Both Ichigo and Rukia left the table. "See you later, Ino-san." Ino nodded. She watched as they go.

"_I wonder, are they a couple?"_

X

Sakura spotted Sai standing near the wall. She went closer to him. "What is it that you wanted to see me, Sai-san?"

"Sakura-san…"

"Yes?"

"…" No response.

"…" Silence.

"…" Still quiet.

"Well?"

"Sakura-san, will you go with me to the prom?" Sakura was shocked to hear it and widened her eyes. She looked at him in the eyes. _"Gosh…He's so handsome,"_ she thought and blushed. "O-ok…"

_It's not like I'll go out with Hitsugaya-kun anyway…_

Finally, after turning down lots of boys, she accepted this guy's invitation, the guy she just met few minutes ago. Sai smiled. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you," he whispered into her ear. Sakura felt like melting. Sai then pulled away. "See you tomorrow, Sakura-san." Sakura nodded and he disappeared. Then, the image of Toushiro came to her mind.

_I still like him a lot though. Sai is just a friend. After the prom, there will be nothing between us._

"There she is!!" Startled, Sakura turned around to see a group of angry girls glaring at her. "She's the bitch who bumped into Toushiro-kun! He even asked her name!" One girl said. _"Crap! They're his fangirls! How did they find out?"_ Sakura ran as the angry fangirls began to chase her.

"_Damn! I hate running in the hallway! Better find a place to hide in!"_ Sakura was always a good runner so she was very far ahead of the girls. She turned around a corner and spotted the janitor's room. _"I've always hated the janitor's room…It's so dark and messy! But these girls leave me no choice!"_ Sakura opened the door and slammed it shut behind her. She locked it as well.

Sakura could her that the angry sounds from the girls fading. That meant that they have gone into a different direction. Sakura fumbled for the switch. It was dark so she couldn't see.

"Who's there?" Sakura jumped. At the same time, she found the switch and turned it on. The place became brighter, revealing the stuffy room. She was more surprised to see Toushiro sitting on a worn-out chair, with his arms crossed over his chest. _"Oh my God. It's him!"_

"Haruno?"

"H-Hitsugaya-kun…"

"What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same question."

"…" Toushiro didn't speak.

"I was chased by your fangirls."

"Tch, they're annoying sometimes. That's the reason why I'm here." Sakura looked at him and blushed. Silence filled the room. They stayed there for more than ten minutes and neither talked. At last, Sakura decided to go out. It was awkward in there. "I think I better go. The next class will start soon." Before she could hold onto the doorknob, Toushiro spoke, "Haruno… I don't know if you've noticed… But I've always been observing you." Sakura froze on her spot, couldn't believe what she just heard. Sakura blushed more. She didn't dare to turn around.

A hand landed on her shoulder. Toushiro turned Sakura around for the girl to face him. "Hitsugaya-kun…" He tapped her chin and brought her face closer to his. Sakura's blush increased. Then, it shocked her more, when his lips touched hers. _This can't be happening... _She responded by kissing him back. If just hugging Sai made her melt, kissing this guy was beyond that, and she couldn't describe it in words.

Both pulled away from each other. Sakura was still blushing.

"Haruno…"

"What is it?"

"Will you go to the prom with me next week?"

She hesitated at first and then realized that she had feelings for Toushiro for a very long time. She wouldn't miss this chance. Her dream has come true.

"_Sai…I'm sorry."_

"Yes!" she answered happily.

Now she was going to turn down another person.

* * *

**Finished!!**

**A big thank you for you readers and reviewers! I'm glad that you like this story. Also, I'm sorry for the long wait. **

**Reviews are appreciated. Have a nice day. :D**


	13. Another Problem Emerges

From Two Different Dimensions

Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto whereas Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.

Chapter 13: Another Problem emerges.

* * *

**Previous chapter:**

**Sand (Suna) Village, Shinbobi World**

**The door of the Kazekage's office was slammed open. Temari rushed in just to stare at her brother's back, who was looking out of the window into the clear night sky. She panted. The young Kazekage turned around to meet his sister.**

"**Temari, what's wrong?"**

**Temari was still panting. She wiped a sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand. The red-haired kazekage could see a mixture of fear and furious in her eyes. It took a while before Temari spoke…**

"**Hollows!"**

X

**Konoha Village, Shinobi world**

'_We need your help as soon as possible!'_After reading that last sentence, Tsunade rolled back the scroll that she received a few minutes ago from Sunagakure. A sigh escaped her lips as she put down the scroll on the table quite firmly. The Hokage looked up at the person beside her. She could tell that the young woman was shocked after reading the message written in the scroll.

People in Sunagakure were suddenly affected by poison coming from an unknown source. The victims were mostly normal people. No one knew how it happened. It just hit them in a blink of an eye, like they were injected with a needle and the next thing happened was that they collapsed on the floor, winced in pain. At the same time, hollows came to Sand village for the first time. They caused several damages obviously. Since the village lacked skilled medic ninjas, they needed more help from their ally, Konohagakure.

"Shizune…"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?"

"Can you please go to the next room? You'll see a glass jar with a butterfly in it. I want you to bring the whole thing here," Tsunade said. Shizune was confused. Nonetheless, she walked out of the Hokage's office to do what she was told to. Later, Shizune came back with a glass jar that contained a small, black butterfly. She put it down on Tsunade's desk.

"Tsunade-same, correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this the hell butterfly from Soul Society?" Tsunade released the butterfly from its cage first before she answered, "Yes, the Shinigamis allowed me to keep one just in case something unusual or very important comes up, I can contact them through this hell butterfly." The said butterfly landed on Tsunade's finger.

"What are you going to tell them?" Shizune asked.

"I need Sakura."

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society**

Sakura retrieved the thermometer from her mouth and examined it. She let out a sigh of relief to find that her body temperature was now normal. She touched her forehead. It felt warm. She proceeded to swallowing her fever pills and chugged a glass of water. Looking out of the kitchen window, she breathed in the fresh air.

She wished so badly that she could come out of her temporary cage. For almost one week she was trapped in her own apartment… all because of the damned fever that lasted longer than she thought. Whenever she was outside, Toushiro will tell her to go back and rest. When he spotted her on his desk doing paperwork with her face still red because of the fever, he will immediately order her to go home and take more rest again.

Being stubborn, sometimes Sakura would secretly go out, doing all her best to keep her presence unaware by the Shinigamis around her. If she was lucky, she would go as far as just ten metres away from her apartment before Toushiro appeared in front of her. _"I didn't even get to step out of the apartment's territory yet!"_ Sakura would think. "Haruno… The reason you haven't recovered from the fever is because you did a lot of work. Go back to bed and rest!" She did nothing but obeyed his commands. Because of all this, she didn't even dare to poke her head out of the door after that. No training in a day felt like hell to her. Imagine no training in one week.

However, today she will have freedom once more. She will assure him that she was fully recovered. So, she slipped into her Shinigami uniform and made her way out of the apartment, for the first time after one whole week, to Toushiro's office.

X

The sudden knocking of the door disturbed Toushiro's work. He looked up and glared at the closed door. _"I hope it's not more paperwork."_"Come in," he said. The door opened slowly, revealing a happy-looking Sakura.

"Haruno…"

"Hi, Hitsugaya-taichouuuu! I'm feeling very well now!" she said in a cheerful tone. Toushiro observed her intently, making sure what she told him just now was true. When Sakura stopped in front of his desk, Toushiro reached a hand up to touch her forehead. Sakura blushed. His sudden actions caused her to take a step back. "Guess you're not lying. Glad that you're fine now," he said and continued doing his work. He made it seem like nothing happened. Sakura could only freeze in her spot.

Later, Rangiku came in and was surprised to see Sakura. It's been a long time since she last saw her. "Sakura, how are you feeling?" Sakura gave her a smile. "I'm fine now, Rangiku-san." Rangiku smiled back. "I'm glad to hear it. There's something I need to tell you." "What is it?" Sakura asked. Toushiro turned his attention to the women in the office. "Captain Commander needed to see you right now," Rangiku answered. After hearing that, Toushiro stopped his work immediately.

Sakura nodded and went out of the office with Rangiku. "Wait." Both females turned around. Toushiro was behind them. "I'm going to," he said. The girls said nothing and so the three made their way to Captain Commander's place.

X

Upon arriving in the meeting hall, Sakura spotted Captain Yamamoto and Ukitake standing in the middle of the room. Toushiro, Rangiku and Sakura greeted them. "Ah Hitsugaya-taichou, what brings you here?" Ukitake asked. Toushiro simply shrugged. He asked, "You don't mind if I join in, right?" "No it's not a problem. It's just that there's nothing important to discuss with you right now. I only have something to tell Haruno," Captain Yamamoto said. The said captain turned his attention to Sakura. The kunoichi saw the hell butterfly on his finger.

"Haruno, there's a huge problem in one of the villages in Shinobi world. I believed it is called Sunagakure. The Hokage of Konoha village requested you to aid in the situation. So I give you permission to go back to your original world for a few days. You must return to Soul Society after your job is done," the older captain told her. Sakura was surprised by the news. Rangiku could see that Toushiro's expression has changed. Although he looked calm from the outside, he seemed like he wanted to protest.

"What huge problem are you talking about, Captain Commander?" Sakura asked.

"A lot of people in Sunagakure were poisoned. I couldn't get the details. The Hokage needs you since you're one of the excellent medic ninjas. Also, hollows have attacked the village. This was proven when the Bureau of Technological Development told us that they had spotted hollows in Shinobi world on their radar," Captain Yamamoto explained. Sakura nodded slowly. "I understand. I'll go now," she said. She dashed out of the hall with the hell butterfly flying behind her to guide her to Shinobi world. Once she was outside of the hall, a voice stopped her.

"Haruno…"

Sakura looked back. Toushiro was the one who called her. "What is it, Hitsugaya-taichou?" Sakura asked. He didn't answer for quite a while. Sakura waited. Finally, he spoke, "Call me if you need help or when something bad happens. I'll help you." Sakura smiled. "Yes, I promise." After that, she disappeared into a puff of smoke.

_Hitsugaya-taichou…_

X

**Konoha Village, Shinobi world**

"_It has been a while since I came here."_Sakura took a deep breath as she held onto the doorknob. She pushed the door slowly. All eyes in the room turned to her and she recognized them. They were some of the skilled medic ninjas that used to work with her in the hospital. "Sakura-san!" One of them greeted her. Tsunade who was behind the crowds rose from her seat. "Sakura!"

Sakura smiled. "Shishou…" She stepped into the Hokage's office. She felt happy that she got the chance to be there again. "Sakura, I'm glad that you could come. I'm very sorry that you have to come here just to take a B-ranked mission. Your assistance is needed," Tsunade said. _"B-ranked, eh? That's quite a dangerous mission,"_ Sakura thought. "I don't mind, shishou. I'm a ninja, so it's my duty to accept any kinds of missions." Tsunade nodded in return.

The hokage looked at the medic ninjas in the room one by one, making sure that all of the medic ninjas needed for the mission were present. Satisfied, she took a deep breath before she began. "Recently hollows appeared in Sunagakure and attacked the village. But the main problem is, which is why you are assigned on this mission, is that most civilians were poisoned all of the sudden. I need you all to treat the victims as most of you have the poison extraction jutsu. The strange thing is that ninjas didn't get poisoned. It is still a mystery whether this problem is related to the hollows. I know they made their first appearance in the village at the same time the people get poisoned but how could the hollows have poisoned those people?"

All the medics were shocked after hearing that. The kind of situation was very unusual and they have never heard of such case before. "I give you one hour to make preparations for the mission. Be in front of the gates by an hour, is that clear?" Tsunade handed the mission scroll to Sakura. "Yes!" Everyone said. With that, they left the room.

X

Sakura arrived by the front gates much earlier than the rest of the medic ninjas. She sighed and released her backpack onto the bench. Then, a sudden rustling in the bushes caused the pink-haired kunoichi to rise from her seat. "Who's there?" She asked. It shocked her to find out that the person who came out of the bushes was none other than Sai.

"Sai!" Sakura exclaimed.

"…ugly?"

She paused in disbelief.

'THWACK!'

"Ugh…" Sai groaned.

"I can't believe you're still calling me that! Arghh!" Sakura said angered. Sai rubbed his cheek which was beaten hard by Sakura's fist. He was on the ground. Sakura sighed. "Look what you made me do." She went beside Sai and got on her knees. Her hand started to glow green and she healed his face. Sai raised an eyebrow. "Usually you don't heal me after you punch me… But why now?" he asked. After his cheek was fully recovered, she answered, "I took a full blow on that punch unlike usual so I felt a bit…guilty."

It was true. Sai felt that the last blow was very strong and he could still feel a little bit pain on the cheek although it has healed completely. 'Could it be that she's getting stronger?' he thought. Both of them got onto their feet. Sai noticed the backpack on the bench. "Are you going on another mission, Sakura?" he asked. Sakura nodded. They didn't know what to talk about next, so they were quiet for a while. "So… how's the team?" Sakura asked.

"It's fine. Naruto, taichou and me train together most of the times," Sai said. Sakura nodded in response. It was Sai's turn to ask, "How are things going in Soul Society?" "Everything is just fine. I've been training too…" _**"No I've not! I was caged in my own apartment for more than a week! How is that training?"**_ Inner-Sakura said. Well, at least she has been training before she got the fever.

"_What's the mission she's assigned to?"_ Sai thought. He was curious.

Suddenly, Sai came closer towards Sakura. The younger ninja gasped. "S-Sai… what…" The said man stopped when he was just a few inches away from her face. His hand went behind her. Sakura gulped and blushed. _"He'd better not touch my butt!"_ Sai pulled back his hand with a scroll in his grip. Sakura was shocked and looked at the white bag behind her that she was carrying. She failed to find the mission scroll in it…because Sai had taken it. Sai opened the scroll and browsed through. "Sunagakure… B-ranked mission…" He looked at Sakura and handed the scroll back to her. Sakura stared into his eyes. She could see a slight concern that lies within them.

"I heard that the poison is very dangerous," Sai said which can be translated more like, 'Be careful… I don't want you to get hurt.' Sakura knew what he was trying to say. She was surprised but at the same time was touched by his words. "I know… I can handle it," she said. At that moment, several medic ninjas have arrived. Sakura looked at them and nodded, signaling that everyone was ready to leave.

"I got to go now, Sai." Sakura grabbed her backpack and was about to join the rest of her team but her wrist was being pulled. Sakura was shocked to know that Sai did that. "Sakura… I'll be there to back you up when something bad happens." Sakura gasped.

"_Call me if you need help or when something bad happens. I'll help you."_

Sakura could spot the similarities in those two sentences and could also define the meaning behind them. Both Toushiro and Sai were worried about her, she could tell. "Thank you, Sai." Sakura pulled away from his grip and gathered with the medic ninjas for a brief discussion about the mission.

Once finished, they set off, except for Sakura who took a few seconds to look back and waved at Sai. The ANBU waved back with a fake smile. Later, Sakura disappeared. Sai went back behind the bushes to retrieve his drawing equipment.

X

**Sunagakure, Shinobi World.**

The medic team arrived in Sunagakure three days later. They met the Kazekage first. When Sakura handed the mission scroll to Gaara, the young Kazekage scanned through. "So you're the medic ninjas sent by Konoha's Hokage?" he asked, looking at the medic team. "Yes," Sakura answered. Gaara counted slowly the number of the medic ninjas present in the office. _"A medic team consisting of ten ninjas, that should be enough,"_ Gaara thought.

Temari and Kankuro who was in the office never missed the chance to smile and wave at Sakura behind Gaara's back. Sakura could only smile back at her long-time-no-see friends. "All of you can go to the hospital now and treat the patients while Haruno should stay here. I need to discuss with her about few things." The medic ninjas, excluding Sakura, nodded. They understood what the Kazekage wanted to discuss about with Sakura.

After all, Sakura was a Shinigami and a lot of questions will be thrown at her. The medic ninjas left the room and made their way to the hospital. A sweat ran down the young ninja's face. It was hot in there and the fact that she knew that she was about to get asked several questions made it even hotter. Gaara started. "I heard that you're one of the ninjas that undergo special training in Soul Society. Is that true?" "Yes, Gaara-kun," Sakura replied.

"So you're currently training to become a Shinigami?" Kankuro asked.

"No, I am already a Shinigami."

"Kankuro, I heard that Sakura-san graduated the academy a month after she entered it," spoke Temari to her brother.

Kankuro stared at Sakura. "You're kidding! Just a month?" he asked in disbelief. Gaara cleared his throat. "Sorry, Gaara. I didn't mean to interrupt your discussion," Kankuro apologized. Gaara turned to Sakura. "How do you Shinigamis fight hollows?"

Sakura took a deep breath before she answered. "We Shinigamis use a katana, which we called Zanpakutou, to fight hollows. Each Shinigami has a different power and ability. When a hollow is defeated by a Shinigami's Zanpakutou, the soul is transported to Soul Society. Other than using a Zanpakutou, Shinigamis can also use incantations."

The three siblings nodded. "If a hollow happens to come here, I would like you to fight it, Haruno. I'm curious about a Shinigami's power." Gaara received a nod as a response. Satisfied, the red-haired Kazekage dismissed Sakura. She immediately made her way to the hospital.

X

"Sakura-san, there's another person with the same problem! He's in the next room. You must hurry and save him!" a young nurse called. Sakura who just finished extracting poisons from the bodies of most people of Suna got up from the floor while sighing in the process. She took one last glance at the treated people in the room to make sure that they have healed completely before dashing to the next room.

The groans of dying people were heard in the hospital room. Sakura's hands glowed green and quickly placed them on the victim's chest. "Hurry, get a bucket of water! I need it to put the poison in," Sakura shouted to the nurses present in the room. One of them obeyed her command and hurried out of the room to get the needed things. Sakura successfully removed a black, unknown liquid from the man's body. Later, she was guided to another room where she was supposed to make an antidote for all the treated people in order to remove the remaining poison inside their bodies. It took her less than two hours to identify the type of poison and create an antidote for it.

The doctors and nurses were amazed at her intelligence and quick actions. Later, all the poisoned people were completely cured after taking the medicine. Sakura was relieved that her antidote worked. After cleaning herself, she collapsed onto a couch in an office and let out a long, heavy sigh. She has been working for more than five hours in the hospital, and all she did was extracting poisons of more than hundreds of people. That was quite a lot. Few didn't survive, as they got the poison days ago. Sakura took out her communicator from her bag and read the clock. It was quarter past seven at night. Later, her world became dark.

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society.**

**The next day…**

Shinigamis in the Bureau of Technological Development were working quite silently in their place until suddenly the radar detected the presence of a hollow. All heads turned to the radar immediately.

"A hollow…"

More appeared on the screen.

"No, hollows! Where are they?" One Shinigami asked. Another Shinigami checked for the location of the hollows' whereabouts.

"Sunagakure, Shinobi World."

X

**Sunagakure, Shinobi World.**

The ringing sound of Sakura's mobile phone had caused her to wake up from her deep sleep. She took out the device and expected that it has detected the presence of hollows instead she found out that she has received a message.

'_How's everything there?–Hitsugaya.'_

The kunoichi smiled. She gave him a reply. _'Everything is fine here, Hitsugaya-taichou. I'm currently taking a break from my job after healing the victims of the poison in Suna. Thanks :)'_

Sakura looked around her and found out that she was lying on a couch in one of the offices in the hospital. _"I hope the doctors didn't mind that I overslept here."_

Next, she received a message from Rangiku. _'Taichou sure is busybody! :p Or maybe he cares for you.'_ Sakura made a small laugh. Rangiku must have been beside Toushiro when he sent the message. "Hitsugaya-taichou…" Sakura looked out of the window into the clear sky. "Thank you."

Not long after that, her phone made a loud sound but this time it wasn't a message. Sakura widened her eyes after seeing the hollow detector in the phone approved of hollows' presence and at the same time feeling a strong reiatsu nearby.

Hollows were spotted somewhere in Sand village.

X

"Sakura-san, you're right on time!" Sakura ran out of the hospital and stopped in between Temari and Kankuro. Few metres ahead, the three could see the destruction caused by the hollows that were attacked by the Suna ninjas. "So are those monsters called hollows?" Kankuro asked. Sakura nodded and was about to run towards the scene but Temari pulled her wrist. "Sakura-san, I'm going to fight too." Kankuro counted the hollows present. "One… two… three… four…five!"

Sakura glared at the hollows while slowly taking out her Shinigami license badge from her pocket. The loud cries coming from the hollows were really irritating her. _"More hollows kept on coming to this world."_After pressing the badge to her chest, Shinigami Sakura came out and she dashed towards the hollows at a great speed, causing Kankuro to catch the former's original body into his arms. Both Kankuro and Temari were shocked beyond words, but Temari wasted no time and followed Sakura's lead.

Not far away was situated the Kazekage's building. The Kazekage saw the whole scene from the large window in his office. Folding his arms, he began to set his eyes on the battle, interested to know the ability of a Shinigami.

Sakura jumped into the air and pointed her Zanpakutou at one of the hollows. The hollow expected that Sakura would attack it but the Shinigami went pass it and disappeared in a nearby forest. Angered, it chased Sakura in the forest. Temari saw this and understood was Sakura was trying to do.

The pink-haired Shinigami wanted the battle to be held far away from any buildings as she didn't want to hurt a lot of people. Temari shouted to the Suna ninjas, "Stay back, all of you!" The ninjas took a few steps back. Temari got her fan and made a very strong swing which created powerful gusts of wind that sent the remaining four hollows into the forest. The hollows cried in pain when they hit the trees.

Once Temari stepped into the forest, she saw Sakura holding up her Zanpakutou. A hollow was in front of her. "Shikai." The size of her Zanpakutou increased. Sakura made one swing of it which created a strong wind and thus sent the hollow flying, hitting the ground so hard after that. _"Wind too, eh? Impressive."_Temari smirked. She wasn't able to see Sakura's fight like she wanted to because she had to deal with the rest of the hollows as well.

Sakura immediately slashed the hollow with her Zanpakutou. The hollow gave a loud cry before turning into spirit particles, disappearing into the air to make their way to Soul Society. Sakura later joined Temari.

"Bakudou no. 4: hainawa!" With the energy rope entangling the hollows' arms, preventing them from making any attack, Sakura made another incantation. "Hadou no. 31: shakkaho!" Sakura fired a ball of red energy at the hollows. Temari watched in amazement. The hollows were down on the ground, bearing the pain from the shot while still entangled by the energy rope.

Temari turned to Sakura and raised her hand up. Sakura smiled and they high-fived each other. They knew that it was too early to celebrate when one of the hollows which had successfully broken the rope's grasp kicked Temari into a nearby tree. The young jounin winced in pain as blood trickled down her chin from her mouth.

"Temari-san!" Sakura shouted and was about to help Temari but she got attacked by another hollow. Her body was sent flying and also hit a tree until it broke. Sakura got up slowly, trying to bear the pain. She raised her Zanpakutou, planning to make another strong wind. However…

"Kuchiyose: Kirikiri Mai!"

"_You have got to be kidding me!"_ Sakura wanted to stop her actions but she has already swung her Zanpakutou so hard. As a result of the combination of two powers, Sand village experienced strong winds. The weasel-like creature that Temari summoned cut everything that it passed and the strong wind created by Hikari no Tsubasa had caused the forest to be completely destroyed. The hollows were badly injured by the impact and later died. Because they were killed instead of being defeated by a Shinigami's Zanpakutou, they were destroyed completely without their soul being sent to Soul Society. Eventually, their bodies were gone.

The strong wind caused Sakura to fall on her back quite hard. She shut her eyes close, waiting for the wind to disappear completely. Then, she felt a weight landed on top of her. To her surprise, it was Temari. The latter apologized, "Sorry, it was the wind that made me fall on top of you." Sakura blushed when she realized that their foreheads were touching. Temari made a small laugh. "We won." Sakura laughed too.

"_**Haruno-san, what squad are you in?" Uryuu asked all of a sudden.**_

"_First, Uryuu-san's voice is similar to Sasuke-kun's voice…"_ Sakura thought. "Sakura-san, let's head back to the Kazekage building and give a report to Gaara," Temari said and got up slowly. "Okay," Sakura got up as well and cleaned the dirts on her clothes with her hand. "I need to find Kankuro-san first and get back into my original body."

"_And now I found out that…Temari-san's voice is similar to Hitsugaya-taichou's voice."_

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society.**

"You see what happens if not a Shinigami killed those hollows?" The incident that happened in Sand village was shown on the large screen in the 12th Division squad building. Ukitake Jushiro, now facing the other Shinigamis, asked again, "Do you understand more now why we can't let the ninjas kill more hollows than us?" He received a nod from every one of the Shinigamis. Mayuri left the room, signaling that he has satisfied seeing the battle between the ninjas and hollows.

"That blonde-haired girl is strong," Rukia stated, pointing on the screen at a girl with four spiky ponytails who was carrying a large fan. The rest had to agree after seeing Temari's powers. "I'm disappointed in Haruno," Byakuya said flatly. All eyes turned to him. "Nii-sama," Rukia said slowly, surprised by her older brother's statement. Toushiro eyed the sixth division captain with a bit of dissatisfaction.

"I understand him. She should have defeated those hollows with her Zanpakutou by herself. Now that the hollows' souls are destroyed, they can't reach Soul Society," Kenpachi said. Yachiru lowered her form onto the ground off Kenpachi's shoulders. She looked at the screen more. "Pinky…"

"I don't blame Haruno. It's not like she could just tell off her friend not to kill the hollow that was threatening her village," Toushrio defended. Now everyone was looking at him. He stared at Sakura's form on the screen. She seemed to be talking happily with Temari as the two young women walked. Everyone became silent for a while. Suddenly, Yachiru approached the young, silver-haired captain and asked a surprising question.

"Do you like Pinky?" Everyone turned to Toushiro immediately. Toushiro was very surprised.

"Nonsense! What are you talking about?" He could feel heat invaded his face.

Renji and Rangiku watched him with an evil smirk plastered on their faces. Yachiru continued, "I've been seeing the two of you quite close to each other. Sometimes I wonder what you two were doing behind the closed doors of your office…" Ikkaku slapped Yachiru's mouth close with his hands, disabling the pink-haired girl to continue on talking. By that time, Toushiro's face was completely red, showing a mixture of anger and embarrassment. "My job is done here… I'm going back to my… office," he said in a low voice and left the building quickly.

"What gave you that ridiculous idea?" Ikkaku asked Yachiru. The latter could only smile widely. "I'm just curious." Rangiku came closer to the girl. "To clear your misunderstanding, Sakura only did paperwork in taichou's office. She always helped him with his job. That's all," Rangiku said and smiled. Later, Ukitate turned off the screen.

Suddenly, the radar had spotted hollows' presence somewhere in the living world.

"Where is it?" Ukitake asked the Shinigamis working the building.

"Karakura Town… lots of them." However at the same time, the radar also detected hollows somewhere in Shinobi world.

"Shinobi world as well? Where is it?" Ukitake asked again.

_"Konoha or Suna?"_

"New location…" This surprised everyone.

"Where is it?"

"Otogakure."

X

**Konoha Village, Shinobi World.**

"Tsunade-sama! There's a report saying that Sound village is attacked by hollows!" Shizune stormed into the Hokage's office. Tsunade rose from her seat immediately. "Sound village? Quick, bring the hell butterfly to me! I'm going to contact Sakura." Shizune did as told.

"_Otogakure…this is bad."_Tsunade went out of the office and searched for an ANBU. When she found one in the Hokage's building, she said, "Tell Naruto, Sai and Yamato to come to my office this instant!"

X

**Sunagakure, Shinobi World.**

A hell butterfly suddenly came into Sakura's view when she was working in the hospital. Sakura reached out her hand for the creature to land on her finger. The message transmitted through the hell butterfly shocked Sakura. She widened her eyes in horror. "S-Sound village?" She gasped. Memories of her team's encounter with Orochimaru and the team seven reunion which took place a year ago came into her mind. What was more surprising was that she was ordered to go to Sound village immediately to hunt down the hollows…alone… and without a permission scroll to enter the village.

Sakura got her bag, checked if her Shinigami license badge was there and dashed towards the Kazekage's building. There, she explained to Gaara everything and asked if she could leave the village for a while.

"Do you need a permission scroll? I can give you one." Gaara asked.

"Can I… I mean, yes please!" Sakura said. She was relieved that Gaara offered to give her a permission scroll to enter Sound village. So now she won't have to enter the village the hard way or illegally. Few minutes later, Gaara finished writing and gave the scroll to Sakura. The kunoichi thanked him and went out of the building together with the hell butterfly.

Standing in an open field where no one could see her, a hole appeared and the hell butterfly created a passageway to another place, in other words, Sound village. Sakura ran through it. _"I'm glad that I have the hell butterfly with me. With it I can arrive in Sound village in just less than an hour."_

X

**Otogakure, Shinobi World.**

Once she sighted hollows attacking the village without mercy, Sakura took out her badge and transformed into her Shinigami form. Her original body was left lying on the ground which shocked the passers-by. To them, Sakura seemed dead as they cannot see the Shinigami Sakura. No one bothered to check the figure closely because their minds were totally filled with the fact that they were going to die if they don't hide themselves from the monsters, which to them, were invisible. Sakura ran towards the hollows and held her Zanpakutou up. "Come out, Hikari no Tsubasa!"

Meanwhile, a mysterious person saw the lifeless body of Sakura lying on the ground. He got on his knees and leaned down to touch her face. Her body felt cold and she wasn't breathing. Thousands of questions played in the mind of the person as he observed the figure in front of him.

"What are you?"

Sakura landed on the ground slowly. She panted and felt sweat trickled down her face. She had defeated more than three hollows, and the one she was facing right at that moment was the last one. She charged at the hollow, clutching the Zanpakutou's handle quite firmly. "You're going down!" With one swing, the blade cut the hollow's head and it gave out a loud cry before turning into spirit particles. Sakura sighed and observed the particles floating in the air until it disappeared.

She looked at everyone around her. They obviously couldn't see her. Their expressions were quite amusing to Sakura. The people held a confused look as they didn't know what had caused the destruction of their properties to stop. Apparently, there were no ninjas around. The place which was attacked by the hollows recently was a small village and the people were mostly working as farmers.

Sakura headed back to where she left her body before she fought the hollows. When she reached the spot, to her horror, her original body was gone. "Shit!" She began to panic. _"I could've sworn I left it here!"_Sakura looked around her, _"Could it be that the villagers had taken the body with them? Not funny if they've buried it!"_The scared Shinigami began to search everywhere in the village for the body.

"_This is bad! My Shinigami badge and mobile phone is in the bag with the body."_Sakura mumbled few curses for being so careless. She kept on wandering around the village in search for her body.

X

**Konoha Village, Shinobi World.**

"Naruto, Sai and Yamato…I need you three to back Sakura up in Sound village." Naruto widened his eyes. Sai and Yamato were surprised as well. "What are you talking about, Tsunade-no-baachan? I thought Sakura-chan was in Soul Society!"

"I thought Sakura was in Sunagakure," Sai said. Naruto turned to face the artist. Yamato did the same. "W-What are you guys talking about?" Naruto asked. He was very concerned about Sakura. "Naruto, be patient. Sakura was sent to Sand village to treat the people who got the poison which was injected into them all of a sudden. It is still unknown where the poison came from. However few hours ago, she went to Sound village to take down the hollows there whereas the Shinigamis from Soul Society had to defeat the hollows that appeared in some places in the living world.

Naruto listened with disbelief. He was a bit angered. "Is Sakura-chan alone in Sound village?" Tsunade nodded slowly, which surprised the three males in the office. "We need to hurry and help Sakura-chan!" Naruto was about to leave the room but Yamato grabbed his upper arm. "Naruto, be patient. We need to hear what Tsunade-sama has to say."

"We've heard everything, Yamato-taichou! We must hurry and help Sakura-chan because it takes us days to reach Sound village!"

"Wait, Naruto. There's a fastest way for you to reach there," Tsunade said. Naruto eagerly asked, "What is it?" Tsunade raised her hand up and a hell butterfly landed on her finger. "This."

X

**Otogakure, Shinobi World.**

After few hours of non-stop searching around the village, Sakura became completely exhausted. She went to every place in the small village and even sneaked into some houses. Later, she decided to rest. She has been fighting hollows and also treated patients in the hospital on that day. She set herself down near a tree. It was already late in the afternoon.

She noticed that the hell butterfly that was with her had disappeared. She assumed that it went back to Konoha village. Remembering her current problem, she sighed. "This is so messed up!" Too tired, the pink-haired Shinigami then fell asleep. Somewhere behind the bushes, a group of people were watching her.

"Your speculation is correct. There **is** the owner of this body and she's sleeping right there." One of them pointed to Sakura's sleeping figure near a tree. He was carrying Sakura's original body in his arms.

"Tell me, do you know that girl?" The other person asked the person whose speculation was proven true. The third person didn't answer instead he looked into Sakura's bag and found a mobile phone, a strange badge and only a few ninja weapons. _"This is strange. Ninjas are supposed to carry a lot of weapons like the kunais and shurikens. Her bag only has these unwanted things…and she's alone,"_he thought._"What an unusual outfit she's wearing."_"Place the body beside her. I want to know what she's going to do with it when she wakes up." The other two nodded as they were also curious about the relation between the body and the sleeping figure.

When Sakura woke up, she almost jumped when she saw her original body was placed beside her. A mixture of confusion, shock and happiness filled her. Refusing to think how and why her original body was there, her Shinigami form slowly lowered into the body. She would think about it later. Sakura was then returned to her real form. She heaved a long sigh of relief.

The three men behind the bushes saw the whole thing. They managed to hide their chakra before Sakura woke up so the latter won't detect their presence.

"I get it. She must be a Shinigami."

"What are you talking about, Suigetsu?"

"Well Juugo if you want to know, Konoha village has sent some of their ninjas to another world where Shinigamis lived to become a Shinigami. This is so they can defeat the monsters which attacked the village several times."

"How did you know?"

"Heard it from a person I met a week ago. He's a traveller."

"I did hear about strange things that happened in Konoha village. I thought it was just about minor things and didn't expect another world to be involved with it."

"Quite interesting…another world…Never knew it existed." Suigetsu turned to face the silent member of the group. "That girl is cute. How did you know her, Sasuke?"

The said person glared at Suigetsu. "She's got nothing to do with me." Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook, followed by a loud noise coming from a distance ahead. Sakura took out her mobile phone and it detected the presence of hollows. _"Here I go again."_

"Guys, there's a commotion!" A feminine voice shouted. The female member arrived and joined the group.

"Karin…duh it's obvious," Suigetsu said. Karin rolled her eyes. "Monsters similar to the ones which came earlier today were destroying the village. I think we should check the situation!" Karin's loud voice attracted Sakura's attention. She decided to find out who it was and searched behind the bushes. She saw a group of people a few metres ahead of her, their backs facing her as they watched the destruction caused by the hollows.

One was carrying a huge sword on his back, which seemed very familiar to Sakura, like she has seen the sword before. She pushed the thought away and observed the other members of the group. The female had a long red hair. The other one was the tallest in the group and had a spiky hair and the last one was a raven haired man. She gasped. Realization hit her. How could she be so slow. Her eyes widened. The last one that she observed had the Uchiha clan symbol on his shirt, which could only mean that he was…

"Sasuke-kun…"

Sakura was about to call out his name but suddenly a great pain shot her. Blood splashed out from her mouth. She trembled in horror and dropped her mobile phone. She looked down on her stomach and saw a blade pierced through her body. She glanced over her shoulder slowly. An evil laugh was heard. "W-whoever…y-you are…y-you're a b-bastard and a cheater… You should f-face me…first before y-you attacked m-me…" Sakura struggled. She was losing blood.

"I wanted to kill you at first as I can sense that you're a Shinigami. You see, my goal is to kill Shinigamis." _"K-kill Shinigamis? Who is this person?"_ Sakura observed the blade that was hurting her. It was quite powerful. Normal ninjas won't have that type of weapon. "Who are you?" she asked again.

"I'm an arrancar."

Sakura was horrified. An arrancar is a hollow which has removed its mask and obtained Shinigami powers- she read that in a book in Soul Society. She also studied about how powerful they were and heard about the three former Captains of the Gotei thirteen worked with arrancars. _"An arrancar…in Shinobi world?"_ The arrancar released his sword from Sakura's body. The latter fell onto the ground. Blood was still flowing out of her body.

"Sayonara." The arrancar left without showing Sakura his true self. The beaten kunoichi used her remaining strength to look at the retreating figures of Sasuke's team. At that moment, she wished so badly that Sasuke would notice her and maybe help her. Her vision began to blur.

"S-Sasuke-kun…wait…"

Team Hebi disappeared into the air, making their way to the hollows and to kill them. Sakura faced the ground. Disappointment seized her.

"We finally meet."

Sakura's world was about to turn dark. "Sakura-chan!" Surprisingly, Naruto's voice awakened her a bit. She opened her eyes to see Naruto, Sai and Yamato around her, looking very concerned.

"Sakura-chan! What happened?" _Naruto…_

"Sakura, hang in there! I'll go and find some help." _Yamato-taichou…_He went off to somewhere.

"Sakura! Hey…" _Sai…_ He looked at Sakura directly in the eyes. Then, it surprised both Naruto and Sakura when Sai placed the injured kunoichi in his arms. "Sakura…hang in there." Naruto didn't say a word as he was too worried of Sakura's condition. Sakura turned to Naruto. "Naruto…can you get me my mobile phone?" Sakura requested and pointed to the device which was lying on the ground.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. He got the device and held it in his hand. "What do you want with it, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked. Sai also held a confused look. "I want you to call Hitsugaya-taichou and tell him…"

'_Call me if you need help or when something bad happens. I'll help you.'_ _"I don't want him to worry that much."_

"…tell him that everything is fine." Sakura then fell unconscious.

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society.**

The sudden ringing of Toushiro's phone disturbed his work on the desk. As he was about to grab the phone, he accidentally pushed his glass of water off the table and broke it. He had a bad feeling. Ignoring the broken glass and the uneasy feeling, he answered the phone.

"Hello…"

"Hey, Toushiro… This is Uzumaki Naruto speaking."

"…what? Is there anything wrong?" Toushiro used one hand in handling the phone while the other hand was writing on the paper. He had to finish his work quickly.

Naruto told the Captain, "It's about Sakura-chan… She's badly injured." Toushiro stopped his work immediately. "What happened to her?" He rose from his seat.

"She didn't tell much before she went unconscious. She just told me that she was attacked…and saw a man she knew," Naruto's voice became slower and quieter.

"Who is it?" Naruto could sense that Toushiro was also worried of his friend.

"…" Silence.

"Uzumaki?"

"It's Uchiha Sasuke."

**-End of Chapter 13-**

* * *

**Next Chapter: Worried.**

**(A/N: I know I said that I'm putting this story on hiatus. But I felt like finishing this chapter as it was almost finished before I made that announcement (To those who haven't read the author's note on my profile please do so). So this is going to be the last chapter I submit before I sit for the exams. I am sure I'll continue this story after that so please bear with me.**

**Thank you all for those reviews. I really appreciate them! :) I wish you all good luck.)**


	14. Concern

From Two Different Dimensions

Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.

Chapter 14: Worried

* * *

"Taichou... wait up!" Something must be wrong. If not, Hitsugaya Toushiro wouldn't suddenly rise from his seat and walk out of his office with a dark expression. Rangiku just happened to pass by the office when she saw her Captain coming out, leaving his unfinished paperwork behind. Rangiku decided to follow. "Taichou, what happened? Why are you in a hurry?" Rangiku tried again but Toushiro didn't answer. The recent news that Toushiro received just a few minutes ago had struck him that he was now deafened from his surroundings.

"_It's Uchiha Sasuke."_

"_Sakura-chan…she's badly injured."_

Those words seemed to echo and re-echo in his mind. Sakura was badly injured and apparently she didn't say who the attacker was before she passed out but managed to tell about Sasuke. What a surprise. He began to remember, as he walked hurriedly down the hallway, about Sakura talking happily about the Uchiha prodigy a few weeks ago.

It was on a fine sunny day when it was very quiet and quite dark in the hallway. Only the sound of his footsteps was heard as he walked on the cemented floor. The place was so silent that Toushiro's mind was free to think of various things. He was glad that he had finished his paperwork and it was all thanks to none other than Haruno Sakura, who has been helping the silver-haired captain with paperwork almost everyday.

There were other times when Sakura had finished her training with an appointed group of Shinigamis specialized to help Sakura in her training, Toushiro would ask, "Don't you have any other things to do other than doing this troublesome work? Seriously, this is supposed to be done by Matsumoto when I'm not around." And Sakura would answer with a wide smile on her face, "I've got nothing to do at all. I'm happy to help you, Hitsugaya-taichou."

The door of his office came into view after all that thought. To his surprise, the door was closed. He could have sworn that he left it opened the last time he went out. And if it was Sakura doing the paperwork again, she should have left the door open like she usually does. Toushiro was about to open the door, but he pulled back his hand when he heard two familiar voices inside the office.

"So this Uchiha Sasuke guy… He was a genius in the ninja academy back when you were still studying there?"

"Yes. He came from a very powerful clan. That's why he was so popular with the girls."

"Hm, after hearing those descriptions, this childhood crush of yours must be really handsome."

Sakura blushed. She began to remember of her childhood memories. Some of them almost made her cry but she held back her tears as she didn't want to show her weakness in front of Momo. Both girls have been talking with each other in Toushiro's office until Sakura opened an 'Uchiha Sasuke' topic, the talk dragged on for hours.

"Tell me, Sakura. Do you still love Uchiha-kun?" Momo asked, referring Sasuke with a suitable honorific. Shocked, Sakura looked at Momo directly in the eyes. It has been a long time since she talked about love, especially her love for Sasuke. Although it was a childhood crush at first, she was certain that she had grown to love him after Team seven formed. Feeling absolutely sure without much thought, she answered, "Yes."

That simple one word had struck Toushiro's ears outside the office. He had no idea why for some reason he felt uneasy after eavesdropping. With a calm expression, he walked away, forgetting his initial plan to do some work in his office and ignored the unreasoning disappointment that spread him.

"Taichou… Oi, where are you going?" Realization finally came when a hand landed on his shoulder. Toushiro looked back at the owner of the hand. He was surprised to see Rangiku panting. "Matsumoto?" Toushiro finally spoke. "Geez taichou! You were walking very fast and I couldn't catch up. What's wrong?" Rangiku asked again for the fourth time on that day. Toushiro frowned and looked away. "Haruno suffered a fatal injury." Rangiku was shocked. She pulled her hand from him and gulped. Those words seemed heavy to Toushiro. Although he never saw how Sakura was injured, by the way Naruto had told him made him think of Sakura being brutally beaten.

Naruto had told Toushiro, that Sakura had a deep wound on her stomach and was believed to be pierced by a very strong katana. Toushiro began to feel like wanting to annihilate whoever did that to Sakura. He continued on walking. "I'm going to see Captain Commander." And left.

X

**Otogakure, Shinobi World.**

Naruto, Sai and Yamato had been waiting impatiently outside the operating room for almost an hour. Within that time, neither the three men talked, except for a few murmurs of "I hope Sakura will be alright". Naruto walked back and forth the whole time. He was sweating from the heat in the hospital. Sai and Yamato were sitting on a chair with similar expressions like Naruto. Now, they were waiting for the doctor to come out and declare Sakura's safety.

Sakura **had **to be safe.

Earlier, Yamato had found a reliable person to show the team the way to the hospital. Sakura was taken there immediately and after the medic ninjas discovered her large wound, they decided to perform an operation on her. They also found out that a dangerous poison had spread throughout Sakura's body. They believed that the poison came from the blade which pierced through her. Fortunately, her vital organs were safe. The most worrying matter was the poison.

Yamato stared at the ceiling while complaining about the place being very hot compared to the hospital in Konoha village even though it was already in the evening. Sai glared at the closed door in front of him. He could imagine, behind the door, Sakura lying unconsciously on the bed while being operated by a group of skilled medic ninjas. He closed his eyes. He was confused over these new feelings that came to him. He knew was worried- that was what he read in a book which matched his current conditions.

Suddenly, the door opened and later came out a doctor, a man in his early forties, holding a clipboard in his hand. He had a serious face. Yamato and Sai jumped. It was Naruto who spoke first. "Sakura-chan! How is she?" The doctor was silent for a while. "The medics had successfully closed up and cured Haruno-san's wounds. However, she lost a large amount of blood and we were unable to remove the poison from her body. We don't have skilled medic ninjas who are good in that field."

Naruto balled his hands into fists his and gritted his teeth in disappointment. _"If only I came here three minutes early, I could've saved Sakura-chan and defeated her opponent. Damn!"_

"How dangerous is the poison?" Yamato asked. The doctor replied unsmilingly, "Right now, the poison does not affect her body but it will take effect in a few hours. Haruno-san will go numb and if no appropriate treatment is given, she'll die." The words really hit the three ninjas. Naruto refrained from punching the wall and felt his legs wobble.

"Can we see her?" The doctor turned to Sai and shook his head. Sai frowned. "Haruno-san is still unconscious. I'll only allow you to see her when she wakes up," the doctor said and left.

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society**

"I see," said Captain Yamamoto. He observed the other three captains in front of him. Among Shunsui, Toushiro and Ukitake, Toushiro was the one Captain Yamamoto looked at intently. Never had the old Shinigami seen the young captain to be so discontented. Captain Yamamoto could sense Toushiro's anger by the way the he delivered the news about Sakura, his tone was firm and his eyes were fiery.

"Captain Hitsugaya Toushiro, you wanted to go to the Shinobi world. Is that what you were trying to say?" the Captain Commander asked. Shunsui and Ukitake glanced at Toushiro. Earlier, both of them who were from the library doing some research just happened to see Toushiro hurrying to the Captain Commander's place. They decided to follow. Toushiro's eyes never left the Captain Commander's. "Yes. If it is possible, I would like to request to visit Haruno," Toushiro said.

There was a long silence before Captain Yamamoto broke it. "I object." Toushiro's frown deepened, but he didn't say a word. He had expected this. "Captain Hitsugaya Toushiro, you should've known by now, as one of the responsible Captains of the Gotei 13, that you must not interfere with other matters unrelated to our own matters. Ninjas fight and get hurt. That's common. When Haruno gets in a better condition, she'll return back to Soul Society and resume her duties and training as a Shinigami."

Toushiro glared at the floor. When he felt that his request had failed to be fulfilled, he wanted to dismiss himself. Suddenly the door flung open and came in a Shinigami, who the Captains in the room recognized as one of the Shinigamis working in the Bureau of Technological Development. "Captain Commander…This is bad!" the Shinigami half-yelled, looking quite panicked. The Captains in the room were confused. "What is it? More hollows in Shinobi world?" Ukitake asked.

"Worse. The radar detected…an Arrancar," said the Shinigami, this time, slowly. All of the sudden, the pressure in the room began to change. The Shinigami continued, "The Arrancar was spotted somewhere in Otogakure a few hours ago. Not only that, there's a moment when the Arrancar was seen nearby a familiar reiatsu… And they had a brief encounter. It is believed that the reiatsu belonged to Haruno Sakura." Toushiro's world seemed to darken around him instantly as he was shocked by the statement. The other three captains were surprised as well.

Toushiro faced Captain Yamamoto once more. "Captain Commander!" Knowing very well of his thoughts, the old man said, "Captain Hitsugaya Toushiro, if you insisted on going, you may do so and attend to Haruno. You may get some information from her about the Arrancar." Toushiro nodded and rushed outside to set off towards Shinobi world.

X

**Otogakure, Shinobi World.**

It was painful, yet she forced her eyes open. Sakura groaned and found herself lying on a hospital bed. Aware of the presence of a familiar chakra nearby, she looked to her left, and found Sai staring back at her. He was standing at her bedside. "Sakura!"

"Sai…" Sakura tried to sit up. Sai helped her and let her leaned against the headboard of the bed. Sai's hands never left Sakura's shoulders. The latter looked up into Sai's onyx eyes. Too tired, she didn't think much before she rested her head against his chest and wrapped her arms loosely around his waist. Sai was puzzled, unsure how to respond to the physical contact. Sakura began to cry which confused Sai more. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I saw Sasuke-kun…But I failed to bring him back," Sakura said in between small sobs. Sai put his arms around her neck and brought her closer to him. He was unsure of his behaviour. The action was involuntary. Sakura continued to shed tears as she blamed herself quietly about her failure while Sai tried to calm her down. Then, he spotted someone standing at the door. He looked up to see the person and was surprised to find out who it was.

Toushiro stood still near the door. Although his expression was calm and his mouth was shut, his eyes were wide and direct at the scene in front of him. For some odd reason, he felt that his heartbeat had stopped. Without saying a word, he left. Sakura who had calmed down a bit, turned around after hearing footsteps leaving the room. She looked at Sai and followed where his eyes were set. She glanced at the door. "Who was it?" she asked.

"Captain from your squad," Sai told her. Sakura was surprised. "Hitsugaya-taichou?" Sakura pulled away from Sai slowly and lowered her feet to the ground. "Sakura, where are you going? I think you should rest," Sai said, a bit worried. Sakura adjusted her hospital robe and headed towards the door. "I'm fine, Sai. I'll be right back," and she disappeared.

After few moments of tracking his reiatsu, Sakura finally found Toushiro on the hospital rooftop. His back was facing her. Sakura wondered how and why did Toushiro come. "Hitsugaya-taichou…" Her soft voice startled the young captain. His gaze tore off from the sky to the young woman behind him. "Haruno…"

"Why are you here, taichou?" Sakura asked. "Uzumaki told me that you were attacked… so I came to see you," Toushiro moved towards Sakura and stopped when they were only few metres away. "Haruno, didn't I tell you that if something's wrong, contact me. Or you couldn't?" Sakura felt a pang of guilt strike her heart. "I…couldn't. I'm sorry," she apologized. Toushiro sighed. "Anyway, I'm glad you're fine. Haruno… you've learned about Arrancar, right? Tell me, was it an Espada that attacked you?"

Sakura tried to remember back the encounter with the Arrancar. She had glanced over her shoulder and saw a glimpse of his figure, but couldn't get the image clearly. She thought that she had heard him stating his Arrancar number, but it was nowhere in between one to ten. So, she shook her head, much to Toushiro's relief. Suddenly, Sakura was on her knees, coughing. "Haruno!" Toushiro went beside her. "What's wrong?" Sakura kept on coughing and her form weakened. Toushiro carried her bridal-style and rushed inside the hospital.

By the time Sakura was placed on her bed, her coughing stopped. She began to feel pain in some parts of her body. "I'll go and get the medics," Sai said and hurried down the hallway. Toushiro watched her and held her wrist, hoping that Sakura will be all right. When the medics arrived, Sai and Toushiro were asked to wait outside the room.

Naruto and Yamato had just arrived after they went around the village to find Sakura's attacker. "Ah, Toushiro!" Naruto called. Both Naruto and Yamato were surprised to see the Shinigami. This was the first time Yamato saw Hitsugaya Toushiro, the young and one of the most powerful Captains of the Gotei 13. That was part of a description that Yamato had seen in one of the files in Hokage's office. Toushiro nodded as a response while his eyes were fixed at doors.

"Sai, what happened?" Naruto asked.

"Sakura was fine at first when she woke up but then she started coughing non-stop," Sai told him. "Toushiro, do you know what happened to Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked the silver-haired Shinigami. "She was attacked by an Arrancar." Naruto, Yamato and Sai were shocked and their concern grew more. They stood still while listening to Toushiro's explanation about Arrancar.

Later, the door opened and came out the same doctor from earlier. "How is she now?" Naruto asked. "The poison is beginning to take effect. I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. If only we have a sample of the poison, we can identify it and create an antidote. But at this rate, Haruno-san will die." Everyone paled, but Yamato reacted quickly. "We can get help from the Konoha medics."

"There's no need to do that." A weak voice said. All heads turned to Sakura who was lying on the bed and her face was pale. "Sakura-chan!" Naruto rushed inside, so did the rest. They gathered around Sakura's bedside. "Sakura-chan, what do you mean by that? You need to be cured quickly!" Naruto said, expressing his concern while clutching the bed sheets. "Haruno, stop talking nonsense," Toushiro looked at the medics present in the room and said, "Are you sure this hospital has no medics that can help?"

The old doctor noticed that Toushiro seemed foreign, his Shinigami clothes and the sword that he carried was rare for a ninja. So the doctor was sure that the silver-haired boy didn't know anything about Sound village. "Otogakure is a small village. Most of the shinobi living here are specialized in manipulating sound waves. The number of medic ninjas is very few," the doctor explained.

The statement was unexpected. Toushiro looked back at Sakura who was still groaning in pain. Then, Sakura opened her eyes slowly, "Doctor…Listen, I need your medics to prepare a medical kit and some medicines. Under my instruction, they will create an antidote for the poison. The ingredients can be found in my bag…as well as a sample of the poison." Everyone stared at her. "Who…are you?" the doctor asked in disbelief. "A medic ninja from Konoha village."

One of the medics retrieved the ingredients and the sample of poison which was stored in a test tube from Sakura's bag. The rest of the nurses had prepared some appropriate tools on a table to begin the procedure. "Where did you get the sample, Haruno-san?" the doctor asked.

"I worked in Sunagakure before this. I extracted poison from the people's bodies and saved a portion of the poison in the test tube, just in case it might come in handy…And now it is," told Sakura. "Are you absolutely sure that the poison is similar to the one you're affected right now?" Sakura stared at the ceiling and thought for a while. _"I know everything now…Why only normal people in Suna got the poison? The Arrancar gave it to them! And the people cannot see the Arrancar. Although I'm not sure how did he come here in Oto…but I'm positive that the poisons are of the same type."_

"Yes, I'm sure of it," Sakura answered. The doctor nodded to the rest of the medics. "Just tell us what to do, Haruno-san." Sakura nodded and they started the procedure.

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society.**

Toushiro had returned to Seireitei and gathered in the meeting place. The Captain Commander, Ukitake, Shunsui, Nanao and Rangiku listened carefully as Toushiro told them the about Sakura's current situation. They realized that now the problems about hollows invading the Shinobi world have increased with the presence of a much powerful form of hollow, the Arrancar. Difficulty awaits them.

"If…Haruno dies now…" Toushiro shot a glare at the person saying that. He was surprised to find that it was Nanao. "Now now Nanao-chan… What makes you say that?" Shunsui asked.

Toushiro closed his eyes and contemplated for a while. No. He wouldn't want that. Sakura was still young who needed to accomplish a lot of goals that can be achieved only in life. Toushiro considered her a valued comrade. Rangiku noticed her Captain's upset expression and assured him, "Taichou… Don't worry, Sakura will be alright."

X

**Konoha Village, Shinobi World.**

The antidote was created successfully and it worked! Sakura was saved and on the next day, she was sent back to Konoha village for further treatment. After the poison was fully extracted from her body, she fell unconscious again because of exhaustion. She had been working and fighting hollows on the previous day…and a long walk around the village searching for her body.

Sakura had been lying unconscious on the hospital bed until late evening. No one was allowed to visit her. The door was shut and the room was dark with no lights on and awfully quiet, only a slight cold night's breeze made their way inside through a small opening of the window. Later, the window opened widely and the invader sneaked in before quietly shutting the window. He glanced at Sakura for a while before he moved closer to the bed.

Toushiro switched on the table lamp to get a clear view of the young lady lying in front of him. Sakura's face was calm and her normal breathings eased him. "She's fine after all…" he muttered and let out a relief sigh. Smiling, he switched off the lamp and sat on a chair next to the bed. Feeling a bit uncomfortable in his gigai, he sat silently with his arms crossed over his chest. After a good fifteen minutes of silence, he was surprised with a small sound coming from beside him.

"Ughh…" Sakura managed to open her eyes only to be met by dark surroundings. She sat up and held the covers closed to her body. Toushiro watched her and decided to stay quiet for a while. Once again, Sakura felt sad. Remembering about her seeing Sasuke and failed to even make him see her, she cried. Toushiro was confused about her sudden behaviour and he stood up.

Sakura made small sobs. "I'm still weak. I can't even attract Sasuke-kun's attention when I had the perfect chance! Now I'm back at Konoha and missed the opportunity to see him again." Her tears were falling uncontrollably. Toushiro eyed the floor. _"Uchiha again…"_ Toushiro edged closer towards the bed. "Haruno…"

Startled, Sakura looked beside her to find a dark figure staring at her. _"That voice…"_ "Hitsugaya…taichou?" Toushiro switched the table lamp back on. Sakura's emerald eyes met his green ones. They stared into one another before Sakura looked away to wipe her tears, feeling ashamed. "Oh my…how long have you been here, taichou?" Sakura asked. "That doesn't matter." Silence fell upon the room as Sakura continued to wipe her tears.

"Haruno, don't blame yourself. You are not weak," he emphasized the last sentence as if he was absolutely sure. "Hitsugaya-taichou…You know how Sasuke-kun is important to me…to Naruto as well. I think Naruto is upset knowing that I couldn't stop Sasuke-kun. It's my entire fault." Sakura failed to hold back her tears. Before she knew it, Toushiro had held the back of her head and brought her face gently to his chest in a small hug. "Calm down. Don't make conclusions like that." Sakura was surprised but began to ease a little. She moved closer to him.

They stayed like that for a very long time, both were deep in their own thoughts that they didn't realize that their hands touched, fingers intertwined.

X

The next day, Sakura woke up and was greeted by the sounds of birds chirping in the air. She got up slowly and opened the window, feeling the wind gently caressing her skin. Remembering the incident last night, she blushed. She never thought that she would be very close to Toushiro that night, let alone holding hands. The pink-haired girl could not remember how she fell asleep, but she assumed that she had fallen asleep in the captain's arms and no longer after that, he left. After all, Shinigamis cannot stay longer in Shinobi world.

Later, the door opened. Tsunade along with two nurses barged in. "Sakura, you're awake!" Tsunade exclaimed and came closer towards her apprentice to touch her shoulder. "Shishou…" The two nurses asked Sakura to lie on bed while they perform final check-up on her. "Hokage-sama, Sakura-san seemed to be completely cured," one of them said. The Hokage nodded and dismissed them.

"Sakura, I received a report from a Shinigami saying about the problem in Suna," Tsunade began. Sakura listened while still lying on the bed.

"Turns out that the poison injected to the people of Suna came from an Arr… what do they call it again?"

"Arrancar," told Sakura. Tsunade nodded and asked again, "So, you know about this stronger type of hollow?"

"Yes, shishou," Sakura said. Tsunade continued, "The Shinigamis in Soul Society made a research on this Arrancar. He is a Numero type, they say. Because normal people cannot see the Arrancar, they were poisoned easily. I don't know what that bastard intended to do, but his actions were sick."

Sakura stayed silent. _"I was right."_

"Shishou, this Arrancar fled to Sound village. Do you know about this?" Sakura asked and Tsunade nodded. "Sunagakure is safe now. I'm afraid the normal people in Otogakure will have to face the same problem." She turned to Sakura.

"I heard that you were attacked by this Arrancar, is that true?" Sakura frowned. She didn't want to remember that bitter memory. "I want to take revenge." Those words came out from her mouth automatically. Shocked, Tsunade said, "Sakura, talk no more and rest. You should've learnt a lesson from that incident, I suppose. I don't want you to face such danger again, understood?" Sakura made no response. Tsunade left the room shortly after that.

When Tsunade's chakra was no more detected, Sakura got up and took a shower in the bathroom. She came out later in a bath robe. Sighing, she grabbed her bag on the table to the bed and her hand roamed for something inside. She retrieved a small plastic bag labeled 'Soul Candy'. She took one out and observed the round candy for a while.

"_Urahara Kisuke-san gave me this…"_ She thought as she remembered Kisuke giving her the Soul candy the time when she lived in Karakura town for one night with Rangiku, the same day when the shameful toilet incident happened. Sakura shook those thoughts away and swallowed the candy.

'_This might come in handy, so I would like you to take one,"_ Kisuke had said as he handed the plastic bag of soul candy to Sakura.

Her body, feeling very unusual to the effect of the candy, tensed a bit before her soul separated from her body. Sakura looked back at her other form which was lying on the bed, eyes closed. She thought strangely while leaning closer to the face, _"I thought it is supposed to be…talking? It's an artificial soul, right?"_ Suddenly, the soul opened her eyes and sat up quickly, their foreheads hit in the process. "Hello!" Sakura stumbled back a bit. "Ouch!" She rubbed her forehead.

The artificial soul got to her feet and observed her body. "Wow, nice! I got pink hair too!" she exclaimed happily. Sakura raised an eyebrow. _"I guess Urahara-san gave me the hyper one."_ "So, what are your orders?" the artificial soul asked and smiled widely. Sakura composed herself before she told her other form, "You're better than a clone. Listen, I want you to behave well and act exactly like me while I'm away. Got it?" the artificial soul nodded. "Where are you going, Sakura?" she asked.

"Otogakure. Please don't let people find out that you're not me. You should just stay here. Before that, I'm calling you Mika." The gigai nodded again and smiled at the given name. Satisfied, Sakura opened the window and jumped out.

X

**Otogakure, Shinobi World.**

Sakura arrived somewhere in Otogakure where the population was quite dense. She looked around the huge rice fields and found a lot of people busying themselves with their daily farming activities. The hell butterfly landed on her finger, and Sakura ordered it to go back to Konoha where it belonged to Tsunade. Sakura had managed to sneak inside one of the rooms in the Hokage mansion, and found the hell butterfly contained inside a glass jar. She needed it to get to Sound village the fastest way.

The people around her couldn't see her, much to her relief because at that time she won't have to run away from any ninjas that might spot her. She concentrated chakra to her feet and began her search around the village, hoping to find the Arrancar as soon as possible.

Later, Sakura arrived in a large clearing. She decided to stop there when she felt a large reiatsu nearby. _"That must be it," _she thought. She stood still in the centre of the field and waited for the Arrancar to show himself. She tightened her grip on her Zanpakutou. It made her almost jumped when the bushes began to rustle.

"Oh, still alive?" Sakura startled and turned around before getting into a fighting stance. She widened her eyes at the sight in front of her. The Arrancar had shown his true self in front of her eyes. She recognized that voice. No doubt that it was him the one who attacked her the previous day. Sakura held her Zanpakutou in front of her.

"Yes, and I come to have a proper battle with you," she said and observed the Arrancar's appearance. He had a black and spiky hair. His hollow mask covered the left side of his face so only the right side can be seen. His right eye was dark green and he had a red line drawn across his nose. His white attire consisted of a white hakama and a long right sleeve that went down to his wrist and his left arm was sleeveless. Not to mention that a hole was on his chest.

Sakura gulped. This was her first time facing an Arrancar. _"Be strong. I've worked hard until now so I'm sure I'm strong enough to beat this guy,"_ Sakura was determined. The Arrancar took out his Zanpakutou.

"Guillermo, 78th Arrancar," he introduced himself and asked, "You?" Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Haruno Sakura, sixth seat officer of the tenth division squad," she answered. Guillermo smirked. "Are you sure you can beat me, dear Shinigami? Your reaitsu seemed to be pretty low." Sakura gritted her teeth to quell her anger. "Don't look down on me!" she hollered and lunged at him with her sword swinging wildly in an attempt to cut him. Guillermo dodged the attack and swung his sword at the Shinigami.

Sakura took a few steps back to avoid it before launching another attack. This time, their blades collided. Sakura, with her arms trembling from the violent contact, managed to ask, "Tell me… how did you give the poison to the people?" Guillermo glanced at the tip of his blade. "That," he said. Sakura raised an eyebrow. Their blades separated and both were few metres away from each other. "My Zanpakutou contains poison. I used the tip of it to inject the poison into the people," he said and smirked.

"Bastard, what are your intentions? I thought you said your goal is to kill Shinigamis," Sakura said angrily. Guillermo continued to smirk, much to Sakura's annoyance. "That too. I'm just testing my poison on those normal people for fun before I fight a Shinigami. Seeing those people suffer from the poison really amuses me," Guillermo spoke in a normal tone, as if what he just said was a nice thing. Sakura failed to control her anger and began to attack him. "You heartless bastard!" she yelled.

Sakura managed to cut him across the chest. Guillermo rubbed his chest with his thumb and tasted the blood. Sakura watched in disgust. Before she knew it, the Arrancar had appeared in front of her and landed a kick to her stomach. She was sent several metres away and hit a tree. Guillermo approached her and laughed evilly. He grabbed her by the throat, held her up and pressed her against the tree.

Sakura choked. "Let…go," she managed to say. The Arrancar came closer to her face and whispered in her ear, "Would you like to continue the fight? Whatever your answer is, I'll end you life here and now," and pointed his Zanpakutou to her face. Sakura too pointed her Zanpakutou at his stomach despite her current position.

"Oh, still have strength left?"

"If you dare to tighten your grip more, I won't hesitate to pierce your body."

"And I won't mind letting my blade pass through you head. We'll die together," he said and smirked again. _"Is this guy crazy?"_ Sakura's mind shouted. She tightened her grip on the handle of her Zanpakutou and gathered all her strength before summoning for power.

"The power of wind rules all: Release! Hikari no Tsubasa!"

By the new command phrase, Hikari no Tsubasa took up a new form. The blade increased in size and the wind that had gathered around Sakura forced Guillermo away from her. Sakura swung her sword and created a powerful wind. Guillermo was sent flying and hit the ground violently. His wound from earlier deepened. When the wind vanished, he immediately leapt into the air above Sakura's head.

Sakura didn't notice this and a cero, instead of hitting her, hit the ground behind her. As a result of the powerful blast, Sakura was thrown far away from her spot. Her back was a bit injured so she healed it quickly, before Guillermo appeared in front of her and brought his hand forward to land a punch on her. This time, Sakura was able to block it by grabbing his arm, and landed a heavy punch on his stomach.

Guillermo coughed and fell to his knees while clutching his stomach, trying to bear the pain.

"Bitch, that was a very powerful punch."

X

**Konoha Village, Shinobi world.**

Toushiro thought, as he walked down the streets of Konoha, about the current situation that Shinobi world was facing. The Gotei 13 had held a meeting right after he went back to Seireitei from the hospital the other night. They never expected that an Arrancar would come to Shinobi world. Because the Shinigamis made an earlier speculation that the mind of a hollow was not as clear as an Arrancar, the hollows might have come to the Shinobi world by mistake.

Now that an Arrancar had set his feet on the land of Shinobi world, the worst case scenario might come about near the future, that is, a war in the Shinobi world. Arrancar was now involved, and the Shinigamis in the meeting had thought of one possible case- Aizen Sousuke was behind all this.

After visiting Sakura in the hospital that night, he never thought that he would have heard her name again in the meeting.

'Have you ever thought of Haruno-san's Zanpakutou?'

'Yes, I guess I'm not the only one.'

'Hikari no Tsubasa. The name Hikari and the wind power that she possesses seemed familiar to me,' the Captain Commander had said. 'I've seen her power when she battled Kazuma Yusuke on the training field.'

'Could it be that… Aizawa Ryo?'

'Impossible. From what I've seen in Haruno-san's profile, her clan is not related to any clan named Aizawa.'

'Aizawa? Who is he? And why are they talking about Haruno's Zanpakutou now?' Some of the Shinigamis had thought to themselves. Toushiro looked around the room and found that some of the Shinigamis were confused. Only the Shinigamis who had stayed in Seireitei for so long like Captain Yamamoto, knew everything.

With those events still playing in Toushiro's mind, he almost hit a tree. He was only few inches away from it. When he stepped back, he realized that his surroundings had changed. He was standing in a small forest. Suddenly, he heard small voices behind the trees. Stretching a bit from the lack of comfort of his gigai, he made his way towards where the voices were coming from.

"Lee! Come on and give it your best shot!" Tenten shouted as she threw a kick at Lee. "But, Tenten, let us wait for Neji-kun and we'll have a battle together!" he said as he dodged the woman's attack. Tenten went on a normal stance. "Geez, Lee! You're no fun. It's been a long time since I fought!" Tenten said as she sat under a tree. "I'm sorry Tenten. I wanted to save energy for the three of us to battle. It's been a long time to since we had a three way match," Lee said.

Tenten nodded in agreement. The two seemed weird to Toushiro, who was looking furtively behind the bushes. _"Preferring a three-way battle rather than two…"_ he thought. Lee then miraculously spotted the silver-haired boy. "Oh, hi there!" Lee waved. _"Shoot!"_ Toushiro had no choice but to come out of the bushes and face the two Chuunins in front of him. "Aa," he responded. Tenten observed him for a while.

Then, an imaginary light bulb appeared above Tenten's head as she discovered a good idea. She grinned at Toushiro. "Hey, whoever you are, why don't we battle together? See who's stronger and just to have fun. I'm afraid that Neji won't come. We promised that we'll gather here at nine for a three way match and it was now ten o'clock!" Lee looked at Tenten as if she was crazy. "Tenten, how do you know that this guy is a ninja?" Lee asked. Toushiro regretted that he had come there. Now he was supposed to explain everything what the two ninjas didn't know about.

"He looks like one," Tenten said and took out a scroll. "W-wait…" Toushiro knew that he made a big mistake when he too got into a fighting stance, which confirmed both Lee and Tenten that Toushiro was not an ordinary villager, and the stance was also a signal that Toushiro had accepted the fight. "Let us begin!" Tenten said excitedly and aimed few kunais at Toushiro. He managed to dodge them all. Lee threw a kick at Toushiro and he blocked it with his hands. "Nice one!" Lee said, impressed. With his leg still being held firmly, his other leg made a swift kick to Toushiro's stomach.

The younger man fell to the ground a few metres away. He held his stomach and got up slowly. _"Ugh…Being in this gigai has made me no more than a normal human being."_ Toushiro jumped into the air when shurikens landed on the ground near him. He then came face to face with Tenten. "Not bad at dodging those weapons. Now try this!" The weapon mistress took out her scroll and released it before throwing out several weapons at him. He dodged most of them but some shurikens did hit him, causing him to bleed a little. "Stop this…"

Lee attacked him with his fierce kicks and all Toushiro could do was to dodge and block them. "Come on, Stranger-kun! I know you can do better than that. Show your spirit of youth!" Lee said as he continued on attacking. "Hey, listen… I'm…a Shini…" When Toushiro saw an opening, he grabbed Lee's foot and slammed him down. Tenten threw several weapons at Toushiro again but he dodged them all.

"Konoha Senpuu!"

Lee's powerful spinning kick sent Toushiro upwards and knocked him in the process. "Lee, Tenten, stop!" both said persons turned to Neji who just appeared out of the bushes. Toushiro fell to the ground on his back quite hard. "Neji-kun, so you came at last! We were having a three-way match while waiting for you. Stranger-kun here is not bad," Lee said and offered a hand to help Toushiro. The young captain sat up and rubbed his head, ignoring Lee's hand. He felt a bit dizzy.

Neji came towards him. "I apologize for my teammates behaviour, Hitsugaya," he apologized. Toushiro looked up at the Jounin and recognized him immediately as one of the Jounins that had fought alongside him during the hollow attack on Konoha. "It's fine, they don't know who I am," Toushiro said and got up. "Eh Neji, do you know him?" Tenten asked. Neji turned to her. "Tenten…and Lee," he turned to his other teammate, "This guy is a Shinigami from Soul Society. He's also a Captain," Neji told them.

"WHAT?"

X

Mika heard the door knocked before it opened to reveal a nurse. The nurse entered the room and smiled sweetly at Mika, who the nurse thought, was Sakura. "Sakura-san, you are allowed to leave the hospital anytime you want. You are completely healed so the doctors have decided that you be discharged. Have a nice day, Sakura-san." Then, the nurse left.

Mika closed the magazine she was reading and began to pack her things. She stared at the sky first before proceeded to the reception.

X

Feeling very shocked and ashamed, both Lee and Tenten lowered their bodies and bowed to Toushiro, throwing few apologies. Toushiro shook his head. "Forget about it, I'm fine," he said and observed the team for a while.

"So Hitsugaya, what brings you here?" Neji asked. Toushiro did some exercises to loosen his muscles and answered at the same time, "I was ordered to come here just in case hollows…or Arrancar came and made an attack."

"Arrancar…but isn't that…" Tenten's voiced got stuck in her throat. Remembering the discussion between her friends about the Arrancar, she gulped. Ino's and Shikamaru's words seemed to be playing back in her mind.

'_Another type is called Arrancar."_

'_An arrancar is a hollow which has removed its mask in order to gain Shinigami powers. It also have a humanoid form.'_

Tenten couldn't imagine how strong the Arrancar was. She had faced a hollow before, and defeated it with ease. However, even though Tenten had won, she had realized that defeating the hollow required great strength. How she wished that she had a Zanpakutou like Sakura so she can defeat the hollow with one single swing.

"What's wrong, Tenten? There's no need to be afraid of this Arrancar. We're strong as well." Lee put a hand on Tenten's shoulder. Neji nodded slightly in agreement. Toushiro then turned his back to the team.

"I have to go now. By any chance you know whether Haruno is still staying in the hospital?" he asked. Neji, Lee and Tenten looked at one another. "I'm not sure. I heard that Sakura was hospitalized after she returned from Sound village. You should just check by yourself," Neji told him. Toushiro nodded and left.

X

"_That was weird,"_ Toushiro thought as he entered the hospital's main entrance and went to the reception. He never expected to get attacked by two of Konoha's best ninjas the first time he came to Konoha that morning.

The girl at the front desk greeted Toushiro with a smile. "Good morning! How can I help you?" Once captured Toushiro's full appearance in her eyes, the young nurse with short brown hair blushed.

"I came to visit Haruno Sakura. Can you tell me where her room is?" Although Toushiro had known where Sakura's room was, he needed to make sure whether his subordinate was still there. "Oh, Sakura-san. She's in room number twenty-three on the second floor. Can you please fill in your details in this form?" the nurse said and handed a clipboard to Toushiro.

He grabbed it and looked at the paper clipped to it. Full name, date of birth, patient's name, relationship with the patient, bla bla… He sighed. _"What a drag. Do I look like a suspicious person?"_ He took a nearby pen and began filling in at the table.

The nurse observed Toushiro with her face still blushing. _"This boy…although shorter than me…he's so handsome."_ Her eyes then glued to the main entrance of the hospital and her mouth was hung open as she saw her most hated person in the world. The man with black, spiky hair and hazel eyes stood at the front door and looked around the hospital as if trying to search for something. He was carrying a bouquet of flowers. The moment he set his eyes on the nurse at the reception, his serious expression changed to a brighter one. The nurse was annoyed.

"Oh, shit! Damn, not you again!" the nurse shouted. Toushiro, shocked by the choice of language the nurse used, shot his head up and stared at the nurse. "Excuse me?" The nurse immediately smiled sheepishly at Toushiro. "Oh my…I'm sorry. It wasn't you."

"Nami-channnn!" the man behind Toushiro exclaimed. Toushiro refused to look back instead he looked at the nurse's name tag. 'Nami'.

The man came at the reception and threw the bouquet of flowers at Nami's face. She shoved it aside and shot a glare at the man. "Ken, how many times do I have to tell you that I'm not interested in you or whatsoever!" she shouted. "But Nami-chan, I love you! Please go out with me," Ken begged. Toushiro rolled his eyes at the dramatic scene in front of him and continued filling in his information on the paper.

"Please, leave me alone. Can't you see that I'm busy? Why don't you find another girl and stay out of my life," the nurse said with her hands on her hips. The man was stubborn. "But Nami-chan…I can't find another girl! You're the only woman for me… I need you!"

"_Corny…"_ Toushiro thought as he gave the form to the other nurse at the reception instead of Nami. Nami was busy looking around her to make sure that no one was witnessing the embarrassing scene. To her relief, the hospital was quite deserted that day, only few nurses were seen passing by. "Stop making a scene!" she shouted.

Meanwhile, "Thank you…" the other nurse at the table said and glanced at the paper, "…Hitsugaya Toushiro-kun. You may visit Sakura-san." Toushiro nodded and was about to turn his back to the counter when he heard the most shocking thing he has ever heard on that day.

"Please, Nami-chan! I'll do anything…even if I have to walk around the village naked!" Instead of being disgusted by those words, both Toushiro and Nami questioned simultaneously, "Say what?"

The other nurse at the table sighed and talked blatantly, "Nami, there's a ward for patients who have mental problems on the third floor." Nami suppressed her laughter. Ken, annoyed, he turned to Toushiro, "Buzz off, kid."

How Toushiro wished he could release his bankai upon that man. _"Bastard."_

He was about to leave when another nurse called him. "Hitsugaya-kun, I'm sorry but Sakura-san has been discharged. She had signed her name at the reception earlier."

X

Toushiro sighed in annoyance. He was back on walking down the streets again and waited either for his mobile phone to ring or talk to Sakura if he found her. _"What a weird day,"_ he thought to himself. The Ichiraku ramen stand came into view and he decided to take a break for a while. He strode to the ramen stand and was surprised to see the person coming out of it.

Mika smiled at the passers-by as she went out of the ramen stand. She stroked her pink hair and put hand on her stomach. "Ah, that ramen was delicious!" she stated happily. "Haruno?" Startled, Mika turned around to see the person calling her.

Her face brightened when she saw Toushiro, who thought that the girl standing in front of him was Haruno Sakura. He was looking into her green eyes intently.

"Ah, Toushiro!" Mika exclaimed and brought her hands on his shoulders. Toushiro, extremely shocked by her sudden behaviour and the name referring, has his eyes widened as he stared at Mika.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Mika!"

Toushiro's day couldn't get any weirder.

X

**Otogakure, Shinobi World.**

When Guillermo got up to his feet slowly, Sakura stepped backwards. She held her Zanpakutou upright and prepared for another attack. Guillermo ran towards her and fired another cero from his finger. "Take this!" he shouted. Sakura was left to defend herself. She made another swing of her Zanpakutou and the cero disappeared with the wind. Sakura began to breathe heavily. She remembered that her limit was four swings. She then leapt into the air.

"Bakudou no. 63: Raikouho!" Sakura fired an enormous wave of yellow energy at Guillermo but he dodged it easily. He came floating in the air and lunged at the Shinigami. _"I must end this quickly,"_ Sakura thought and made another swing of her Zanpakutou. The huge wind formed cuts and bruises on Guillermo's body and he was sent flying further away from Sakura. Feeling a bit of pain, she landed on the ground. Unaware to her, the Arrancar had appeared behind her and kicked her head.

Sakura was sent flying into a tree and her head hit the ground. She cried in pain as blood began to flow down her face. When she heard his footsteps coming, she tried her best to sit up and prepared to attack.

"Forget it my dear. You won't be able to do anything in that state," Guillermo said as he drew his sword and pointed it at Sakura, still walking towards her. Sakura gripped the hilt of her Zanpakutou and made another one last swing which created a strong wind. Guillermo was forced to hit the large boulder behind him. He let out a growl of pain. "You're very persistent. I'm amazed," he stated and smirked. Blood was dripping down his chin.

Sakura knew that she had reached her limit after the four swings. Her energy had depleted and she couldn't even heal the injury in her head. She fell to the ground again and was forced to close her eyes as blood flowed uncontrollably down her face. It took her a while before she realized that Guillermo had appeared in front of her. The Arrancar looked down at her and pointed his Zanpakutou at the Shinigami. "I'll end your life here. My Zanpakutou, Fuego Oscuro, will make it happen now!" Sakura feared and gritted her teeth, trying to gather her strength to get away from death.

"Guillermo, stop!" The tip of the blade was only few inches away from her head when it stopped. Feeling very annoyed because of the distraction, Guillermo turned around and looked up at the sky. He hissed, "What?" Sakura opened her eyes slowly and looked up. Another Arrancar was floating in the air, with the garganta opened behind him. "Guillermo, you must return to Hueco Mondo under Aizen's order. Your time spending here has exceeded beyond the given time you were asked to be here. You better return back or Aizen will punish you," the Arrancar said.

Guillermo put his sword back into its sheath and looked back at Sakura. "Pfft, just when I get to the good part," he said and tapped Sakura's chin, rubbing it slightly. "We shall meet again, that is, if you're still alive," he laughed and jumped into the air. "Haruno Sakura, the next time we meet, I'll win," he said and entered the garganta with the other Arrancar. The garganta eventually closed.

Sakura fell unconscious.

X

**Konoha Village, Shinobi World.**

It took a good five minutes of explanation before Toushiro realized how dangerous Sakura was getting herself into. Mika had told Toushiro about Sakura running away to Otogakure, although Mika had promised not to tell anyone. However, her earlier actions caused this. She couldn't help greeting Toushiro and telling him her name when she saw him. So she was forced to tell him about her being an artificial soul and about Sakura's whereabouts, because Toushiro had demamded.

Toushiro was about to go and rushed towards Otogakure when Mika interfered. "Toushiro, I think Sakura likes you." He stopped and turned around to face Mika. "Huh?"

Mika smiled. "This morning when I was in the hospital bed, pretending to be Sakura, I looked through her bag and found this lovely notebook. When I opened it, I saw drawings of her friends…they were all chibis though, but cute! She even coloured them." Toushiro continued to listen although he wanted to go away and save Sakura badly.

"Among them who she drew the most was you, Toushiro. She even wrote down your name and little hearts were drawn on it," told Mika and she looked up at the sky, smiling. "Or I just didn't get it," she added and rubbed the back of her head.

Toushiro felt his lips twitching with an attempt to smile. He looked at Mika. She was surprised to see him smiling. "Mika, I'm going to find her. You be careful about your identity. Behave well for **Sakura**'s sake." And Toushiro disappeared.

X

**Otogakure, Shinobi World.**

Sakura had regained consciousness after a few minutes. To her relief, she had acquired a little energy, enough to heal her head injury. She rested under a large tree and waited for a while for her energy to recover completely. When she touched her forehead, she could trace a long cut that had formed when she hit the ground. She did her hair slowly and as neatly as possible, so now her bangs covered her forehead. She looked up at the bright sky and sighed.

Suddenly, to her surprise, she saw a young boy walking not far away from her. His expression was sad. He had a black, semi spiked hair and onyx eyes. He was wearing a blue t-shirt and short black jeans.

"_Quite decent clothes for a normal people in this world," _she thought. Her eyes almost bulge out when she saw a chain that protruded from the boy's chest. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"A plus? In Shinobi world?" Sakura got up immediately and ran towards the boy. The boy saw her and got a little scared. "Don't be scared, little one," Sakura reassured and went on her knees to hold the boy's shoulders. "What's your name?" Sakura asked. The plus hesitated at first, but he answered, "R-r-ryotaro…" he stuttered. Sakura smiled. "And I'm looking for mom and dad." Sakura's smile was gone as she stood up.

"What happened, Ryotaro-kun?" she asked. Ryotaro began to cry. "My mom, dad and I were in a car. Dad was driving and…there was an accident…" and he cried. Sakura got to her knees again and rubbed the boy's back in assurance. _"Driving? That means this kid is from the human world,"_ Sakura thought.

"You should perform konso on him now, Haruno." Startled, Sakura turned around and stared at Toushiro with her eyes wide. Toushiro was in his Shinigami form. "H-hitsugaya-taichou!" Toushiro came forward and pulled out his sword. He held his Zanpakutou with its bottom faced downwards at the boy. Ryotaro closed his eyes in fear. "N-no…What are…you doing?" the boy cried more. Then, Sakura came in between and held Toushiro's hands, stopping them from hitting down onto the plus's head.

"Stop, Hitsugaya-taichou. Ryotaro-kun is still sad so let us give him some time," Sakura said.

"Haruno, if the chain corrodes more, the plus will turn into a hollow. He must be sent to Soul Society."

"Please, taichou… We'll perform konso on him before we know it, okay?" Toushiro looked into Sakura's pleading eyes before he sighed in defeat. He put his sword at his back. Sakura smiled.

"Thanks, Hitsugaya-taichou," Sakura said and turned to Ryotaro. "Let's have some fun for a while!" she said and smiled.

Later, the three arrived in a small, cheap restaurant. They decided to take a break there. Ryotaro enjoyed himself in the small playground located not far away from the restaurant while Toushiro and Sakura were inside. Fortunately, the waiters and waitresses working there were ninjas, so the Shinigamis were visible to them.

"I would like to have strawberry cake and orange juice." After jotting down Sakura's order, the waitress turned to Toushiro. "Just coffee," he said. Sakura made a slight pout at the Shinigami sitting across from her. "Ne, taichou. Don't you wanna eat?" Sakura asked. Toushiro simply shook his head. The waitress then left.

"Haruno, why did you come here?" Toushiro asked. Sakura looked on the table, avoiding his eyes. "Is it because you wanted to find Uchiha?" Sakura shot up her head.

"No, I didn't come here for that," Sakura said. Toushiro gave her a questioning look. "Then, what?" Suddenly, cool wind blew through the window and Sakura's hair swayed along with it, revealing the long mark on the forehead. Toushiro saw it and asked with his eyes widened, "Haruno, what happened to your forehead?" Sakura immediately covered her forehead with her hand and cursed inwardly.

"Nothing, really…"

"Haruno…What happened?" he demanded. Sakura avoided his eyes again as she was about to tell him the truth.

"I fought the Arrancar that I encountered yesterday," Sakura told him. Toushiro would have stood up and thrown angry words at Sakura if it weren't for the waitress to arrive at the table and put down the ordered food and drinks. Sakura eyed emptily at the small cake with strawberries on the top. Her appetite seemed to have deserted her.

"Is that why you came here? To fight the Arrancar?" Sakura nodded weakly. She had told Toushiro her intention in coming to Sound village and how she was badly beaten by Guillermo. "Haruno, you could've gotten yourself killed! Don't make such reckless move like that again, okay?" Sakura didn't respond. She hung her head in shame. "Taichou…I'm tired of being beaten everytime I fight. I think I didn't train enough. I'm still weak." Toushiro listened as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Sometimes I wish I can be strong like you, Hitsugaya-taichou," Sakura said and smiled slightly, her eyes were still focused on her lap. Toushiro looked at her before taking her strawberry cake away and slid a small amount onto a fork. Sakura noticed this and giggled. "I knew you were hungry, taichou. You can have it. I lost my appetite."

When Sakura looked up, she was surprised to see him holding out the fork for her. "Eat it," he said and brought it near to her lips. Sakura blushed and eyed the frosting for a moment. Her lower lip wavered slightly before she opened her mouth and leaned forward to eat the cake.

Toushiro observed her before removing the empty fork from her mouth. Sakura was still blushing and was speechless. Ryotaro who just came inside the restaurant were able to witness the scene. Toushiro sighed. "Haruno, you're not weak. You can't say that when you have that amazing wind power possessed by your Zanpakutou," he told her as he ate the strawberry cake as well. His words eased Sakura a little. _"Yeah, he's right. I shouldn't look down on myself."_

"Besides, you have that monstrous strength which is quite impressive," Toushiro commented and drank his coffee. _"M-monstrous?"_ Sakura thought and a vein popped out of her head. If Toushiro was not her Captain or someone she admired so much, she would have sent him flying.

Ryotaro came towards the table and stared at the Shinigamis. "What's wrong, Ryotaro-kun?" Sakura asked. "Where do you think my mom and dad are?" the plus asked. His face saddened. Sakura pitied the boy. She glanced at Toushiro before returning her gaze back at Ryotaro. "Your parents might have already gone to Soul Society."

"Soul Society? I want to go there," Ryotaro said. Sakura gazed at Toushiro and both nodded. "He's ready," Toushiro said. Sakura got up from her seat and pulled out her Zanpakutou. "We might see each other again, Ryotaro-kun." Ryotaro nodded. Then, Sakura poked his forehead with the bottom of her Zanpakutou and he disappeared.

X

**Konoha Village, Shinobi World.**

After all that, Sakura returned to Konoha village, where a nice, comfortable bed awaited her at home. Sakura collapsed onto her bed and sighed heavily. _"Another long day."_

She was already in her human form. Toushiro had advised her to go back home while he stayed in Otogakure for a while until he was ordered to return back to Soul Society. Sakura sighed again as she played with her pink hair. _"Now I'm waiting for Tsunade-sama's permission to allow me to go back to Soul Society. My mission is done here."_ She was about to drift off to sleep when someone knocked on her window. "Gah!" Sakura jumped off her bed in surprise. She looked at the window and saw Sai sitting on the window sill. She opened the window and let Sai in.

"Sai, you surprised me. What are you doing here?" Sakura questioned him. "I came to tell you that Hokage-sama has given you permission to return to Soul Society. You should pack your things and see the Hokage in the office," Sai said. Sakura nodded and proceeded on packing her things. When she was done, Sakura and Sai went outside.

"Sakura, don't forget to lock the door," Sai said with a fake smile. Sakura, who was already walking ahead of Sai, moved back to the door and laughed sheepishly. She took out the key from her bag, locked the door and the two set off towards the Hokage tower.

"Sakura, you can go back to Soul Society. Thank you for your cooperation in the medical team," Tsunade said. Sakura bowed to her mentor. She asked, "So, is everything settled in other villages, shishou?" Tsunade was quiet for a while before she answered. "Just now, I received a report from a ninja that an Arrancar have come again to Sound village." Sakura listened in disbelief.

"_Hitsugaya-taichou!"_

X

**Otogakure, Shinobi World**

She was supposed to head straight back to Soul Society, not running around Sound village! When Tsunade told her that an Arrancar was spotted in Sound village, Sakura couldn't help but think it was Guillermo again. _"I have to find taichou quickly!"_ Although she knew that if Toushiro faced the Arrancar, the former would take the latter down with ease. But she was still worried and couldn't let Toushiro face Guillermo alone. That was why, Sakura, went to Sound village again for that day.

Being in her Shinigami form, Sakura jumped into the air and looked around to see if she could detect any nearby reiatsu. When there was none, she landed on top of a roof, and began to jump from one roof to another. _"Hitsugaya-taichou…"_ Sakura looked below on the streets. It was crowded with a lot of people. Although there were hundreds of them, she then spotted one familiar person walking all by himself.

His expression was very calm. Sakura's eyes widened when she realized who he was. She never expected to see him again. _Raven-haired, onyx eyes, Uchiha clan symbol on his back… Sasuke-kun._

Her world began to change. She could only see Sasuke amidst the crowds. Sakura descended to the ground slowly and made her way towards the man, her beloved ex-teammate. When Sasuke sensed a familiar chakra coming, he turned around and saw his former teammate, the one who had confessed her love to him when they were thirteen. Sakura smiled. _"At last, you saw me, Sasuke-kun."_

When she was very close to him, she spoke, "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun," and moved forward, walking past Sasuke, leaving him behind. Then, her illusion began to fade and Sasuke was gone. The villagers came back into her view. While still running, Sakura shook her head. _"Silly imaginations."_

X

Guillermo and Toushiro faced each other in a large cave, located on an isolated land near the border to the Fire Country. With the warm sunlight from outside filtering in through the enormous cave entrance, the two were able to see their surroundings.

"I never thought I would find another Shinigami here aside from that pink-haired one," Guillermo said with a smirk. Toushiro drew his sword and pointed it at the Arrancar. "You've caused a lot of trouble in Shinobi world. You also injured Haruno. I'm going to kill you for that."

Guillermo laughed sadistically. "That's impossible because I'm gonna kill you," he drew his sword and added, "I can tell by sensing your reiatsu, Shinigami, that you're quite powerful." Guillermo lunged forward towards the Shinigami. However, Toushiro disappeared and re-appeared behind Guillermo, cutting his back. Guillermo managed to get away slightly, turned around and swung his sword at the young captain. Toushiro blocked it with the blade of his Zanpakutou.

The Arrancar pulled away and fired a cero at his opponent. Toushiro jumped very high up that his head were only inches away from the tall cave ceiling. When he landed, Guillermo had held his Zanpakutou in front of him. "Engulf… Fuego Oscuro" he muttered. Toushiro's eyes went wide when he saw the resurrección. Guillermo's hollow mask descended to his shoulders and became pointy. His eyes turned red and his nails grew into large claws, while his skin turned dark blue.

Sakura was standing at the cave opening and witnessed the whole scene with her eyes widened in shock, horror and amazement at the battle. Neither Toushiro nor Guillermo noticed her.

Guillermo opened his mouth and fired dark flames at the young captain. He avoided them but Guillermo's speed has increased and he appeared in front of Toushiro in a blink of an eye. Toushiro was clawed across the face, forming deep, red lines on his cheek and forehead. "Hitsugaya-taichou!" Sakura screamed. Toushiro and Guillermo were startled at the voice.

"Haruno, what are you doing here?" Toushiro yelled. Blood was streaming down his face. Guillermo smirked. With his great speed, he appeared behind Toushiro and shot dark flames at the Shinigami. Toushiro didn't have the chance to move away so he was engulfed in the black flames. "Hitsugaya-taichou!" Sakura dashed inside the cave in an attempt to save him. Guillermo turned to face Sakura and walked slowly towards her, preparing to fire his dark flames at her.

"Soten ni zase! Hyourinmaru!" The large ice dragon appeared and the dark flames vanished. Toushiro got up slowly. He had a lot of bruises. The ice dragon flew towards Guillermo. The Arrancar turned around just in time to release more dark flames towards the ice. As a result, the cave was clouded by steam. Sakura stopped as she was blinded in the cloud of steam. She couldn't proceed further. Toushiro pointed his crescent-shaped blade at Guillermo's back.

"Don't turn your back to your enemy. I won't let you hurt Haruno again." Angered, Guillermo blasted, this time, a large dark blue cero at Toushiro. He dodged it but Guillermo landed a heavy punch to Toushiro's stomach. Then, the ice dragon came in contact with Guillermo's left arm and froze it instantly. "Damn it!" he yelled and fell to the ground. Toushiro closed his eyes. "Bankai…"

"_Daiguren Hyourinmaru."_

Two large ice wings and a tail formed. Toushiro's right arm was covered fully until the wrist. Three ice flowers appeared behind him. By this time, the steam which surrounded the cave had completely vanished and Sakura was able to see clearly what was going on inside the cave. Sakura stared in awe as she saw Toushiro's bankai for the first time.

"_A-amazing…That's Hitsugaya-taichou's bankai…"_

Guillermo freed his left arm with his flames and got on his feet to prepare for another attack. However, his left arm was in a terrible shape. He lunged furiously at Toushiro and made several attempts to claw him. Toushiro dodged the attack, and swung his sword several times at Guillermo while doing so. Then, the Arrancar found an opening and stabbed Toushiro with his claws in the chest. He coughed up blood. "Hitsugaya-taichou!" Sakura was about to interfere but Guillermo opened his mouth and fired at Sakura. She managed to dodge it.

"Haruno, stay back! Ugh…" The claws sank deeper into his flesh before Guillermo released the young Captain. "The claws contain poison…The same as the one from my blade," Guillermo said. Both Toushiro and Sakura widened their eyes in horror.

Toushiro smirked, which surprised Sakura. "I'm not done yet!" Toushiro lunged at the Arrancar and stabbed him through the stomach. Guillermo couldn't believe it. He was then locked in a cocoon of ice and froze. Toushiro panted before shattering the enemy in front of him into pieces…and Guillermo was gone.

The silver-haired captain fell on his knees and rested his back against the cave wall. His bankai was gone immediately. Sakura observed his beaten state. Her legs began to wobble and her hand trembled at her chest. "H-hitsugaya-taichou…" She ran towards him and sat in front of him.

"Haruno… Why did you come here?" Toushiro looked at the girl in front of him and saw tears in her eyes. Sakura had never seen Toushiro in that terrible shape. Blood smeared across his face, bruises on his body and blood flowing uncontrollably from the chest. Without hesitation, Sakura let herself fall onto him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Toushiro's voice seemed to be stuck in his throat. He unconsciously put an arm around her waist. "Idiot, stop crying…I'm not dead yet."

They stayed like that for a while until Toushiro groaned in pain. Sakura pulled away and remembered about the poison. "Oh no, the poison!" She immediately healed some of his injuries. "Taichou…we must go back to Soul Society for further treatment!"

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society.**

In the fourth division squad building, the Shinigamis, including Sakura were treating the injured silver-haired captain. Rangiku was also there and she remained right by Toushiro, who was only in his black hakama pants. Sakura made preparations to perform the poison extraction jutsu. "Please get me a basin of water," she requested. One of the Shinigamis later came in with the basin. Sakura observed Toushiro for a while. His eyes were shut against the pain._"Hang in there, taichou…"_

The Shinigamis watched as Sakura's hands glowed green above the young captain's torso. She concentrated her chakra into her palms and gently pressed them to his chest. With her right hand placed on a wound, she pumped green healing chakra and tried to get the poison out of the patient's system. Sakura's left hand hovered over Toushiro's chest and slowly and almost instantly, the poison, a black liquid, flowed out. The medic carefully extracted the poison until none came out. Toushiro groaned and tried to bear the pain. Sakura put the poison into the basin of water. Unohana and Hanatrou watched in amazement at her performance.

Sakura proceeded in making the antidote for a bit of poison left in Toushiro's body. Few minutes later, the antidote was created and she asked Toushiro to drink it.

Sakura felt happy when the antidote was a huge success and her captain was completely recovered.

X

The next day…

Toushiro was doing the paperwork. Sakura came into the office. "Hitsugaya-taichou?" Toushiro looked up from the papers to the pink-haired Shinigami at the door. "What is it, Haruno?" he asked. Sakura approached the desk, which was full of papers.

"Ukitake-taichou asked for the file …I don't know what it is but he said you will understand," Sakura said. Toushiro thought for a while before he knew what it was. He opened the drawers and took out a folder. He glanced at the label. 'Aizawa Ryo.' He held out the folder to Sakura and she took it. _"I wonder what Ukitate is thinking," _Toushiro thought.

"Thank you," Sakura said with a smile. Toushiro nodded and continued writing on the papers. Sakura didn't move her feet. She was observing the captain in front of her while remembering the incident in the cave.

"_You also injured Haruno. I'm going to kill you for that."_

"_Don't turn your back to your enemy. I won't let you hurt Haruno again."_

Sakura had heard him saying those words in the cave. It made her wonder why Toushiro was so concerned of her. She admitted that she liked him…or maybe loved him? She was not sure. She wouldn't dare to go that far. It made her feel a bit happy that he cared about her but at the same time, she felt weak because of being protected again. She shook those thoughts away and reminded herself that she needed to be careful with her feelings.

"Taichou…About yesterday…I'm sorry," Sakura hung her head. Toushiro cocked his eyebrow questioningly.

"What are you apologizing for?" Sakura blushed.

"I was…crying on you … I couldn't control my feelings back then," Sakura looked away. Toushiro sighed, "Haruno, I didn't even think of it badly." He looked at Sakura's green eyes. He noticed that she was sad.

"What's wrong? Are you disappointed that you couldn't find Uchiha?" Sakura was startled by the question. Her eyes met his.

"N-no! What makes you think…that?" Sakura asked as she held the file closer to her chest. Toushiro continued to write on the papers, planning to finish them early. He was a bit annoyed that Rangiku was slacking off again.

"You went back to Otogakure yesterday. Knowing that you're stubborn, you might've come there to find Uchiha but coincidentally found me fighting with the Arrancar," Toushiro said. Sakura stared at him in disbelief. She tried to remember why she came all the way from Konoha to Oto yesterday… Then she recalled it. Tsunade had given her permission to leave for Soul Society and told her that an Arrancar was spotted in Oto. Sakura became worried sick knowing that Toushiro was still there so she decided to go to Oto… And now Toushiro was accusing her of coming there to find that traitor?

"Taichou, I didn't come to Oto merely to find Sasuke-kun! Tsunade-shishou told me that an Arrancar had appeared so I was worried and decided to…" Sakura realized what she had just said and slapped her mouth shut. Toushiro looked up from the papers to Sakura again. "Worried?" he asked. Then, his mind seemed to replay back of his actions after Naruto called him, telling that Sakura was attacked. He came to realization that he was…worried as well.

Toushiro stayed silent while still looking at the girl in front of him. Sakura said again, "Besides, I saw Sasuke-kun before I arrived at the cave."

"What did you do?"

"I didn't stop…I continued to run and search for you."

"Why? You had the perfect chance."

"Because he was an illusion," Sakura grinned. Toushiro was confused. When Sakura turned her back to him and walked towards the door, Toushiro continued doing the paperwork although he was still confused. Sakura exited the room and closed the door behind her. She smiled.

"Because I've fallen for you, Hitsugaya-taichou."

**-End of chapter 14-**

* * *

**Next chapter: Forget about it, not.**

**Please note:**

**Fuego Oscuro- Dark Fire**

**A/N: OMG! I finally updated! I hope that this long chapter will make up for the huge delay. This is like... 32 pages OO. I hope no one will get mad at me for the long wait. XD;; Leave a review if you liked this chapter. **


	15. The past

From Two Different Dimensions

Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.

Chapter 15: The past.

* * *

**Karakura Town, Human World.**

Ichigo yawned, tired from staying up all night fighting the hollows that had come in very large numbers, much to his disdain. Moreover, he had to fight the hollows himself with no one assisting him. The substitute Shinigami had wondered whether Soul Society was sleeping for not lending him extra hands to fight the hollows. If it had been only a few hollows then it would have been a piece of cake. But no. Hollows were scattering throughout Karakura town that Ichigo had lost count at twenty or so.

The situation still bothered him though. It was very unusual for hollows to come in huge numbers in two to three day intervals. Like everyone else, including ninjas from the Shinobi world, he wanted to know the reason behind it all. Everything was still a mystery and everyone had been waiting patiently for a solution.

Ichigo glanced at his watch. In a few more minutes, the teacher would enter the classroom and start the lesson. His eyes scanned the classroom. His fellow classmates were super noisy as usual. And then he spotted Orihime who was talking animatedly to Uryuu. The Quincy only listened silently.

"_I wonder where Tatsuki is," _Ichigo wondered as Orihime had always been hanging around with Tatsuki. He looked over at Tatsuki's desk and found out that she was not there. _"I guess she's absent."_ Ichigo yawned again. He pressed his face to the table and closed his eyes, thinking of having a quick nap. But then, a hand landed on his table gently.

"Yo, Ichigo!"

Ichigo shot his head up and looked from the hand up to the owner's face. To his surprise, it was Rukia. And she was wearing the school uniform.

"R-Rukia? What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked, his eyes widened in surprise. Rukia grinned.

"We were asked to assist you in fighting the hollows that may intrude again sometime today," Rukia told Ichigo. The blonde gritted his teeth in slight irritation.

"_Geez… Only now you showed up! Wait, _we? Who else came besides you?" Ichigo asked. Rukia pointed a finger towards Orihime's desk. Ichigo was again surprised to see that another person had joined the conversation with Orihime and Uryuu.

"Hello, Orihime, Uryuu-san!" the said persons stared in disbelief at the girl calling their names.

"Sakura-san!" both Uryuu and Orihime said in unison. Sakura grinned and sat at an empty desk next to Uryuu. The pink-haired girl looked down on her lap, admiring the short grey skirt she was wearing. She looked around the classroom. _"Totally different from the ninja academy,"_ Sakura thought with a smile as she then recalled her childhood memories.

Orihime was excited when she spotted Rukia at Ichigo's desk. Orihime looked back at Sakura. "Sakura-san, why are you here with Kuchiki-san? Are we going to have a party?" Orihime asked excitedly. Sakura and Uryuu sweatdropped.

"N-no… Of course not! Rukia and I were assigned to assist you guys in fighting the hollows."

"Just the two of you?" Uryuu asked and adjusted his glasses. Sakura nodded. "But the rest will be coming shortly after this. The Captains and Lieutenants of the Gotei 13 are having a meeting right now," Sakura said. Orihime and Uryuu nodded understandably. And then the unexpected happened.

"Sakura-chan~!" Sakura hit the floor due to the force that had suddenly landed on top of her. She growled in disdain when Keigo tightened his arms around Sakura's neck.

"Nice to see you again~!" The students in the class seemed to be interested in what was going on at the moment. Sakura screamed which prompted Ichigo and Mizuiro to make an attempt to pull Keigo off of Sakura.

"Hey don't attack her like that!" Ichigo yelled while grasping on Keigo's sleeve. "Get off me!" Sakura pushed Keigo's face with her hands in disgust. Keigo was then successfully pulled away as he cried Anime tears.

"The teacher's coming!" a student said. Rukia gasped and grabbed Sakura's hand. "We'd better go. See you later!" Rukia said, waving at her friends while dragging Sakura out of the classroom.

**X**

**Seireitei, Soul Society.**

The meeting hall was silent at first, with every captain and lieutenant of Gotei 13 waiting for the Captain Commander to speak. After a while, Captain Yamamoto cleared his throat, signaling that he was about to start. Toushiro looked across from his seat. Momo caught him and smiled at the young captain. Toushiro nodded slightly in response and looked back at Captain Yamamoto.

"We are going to discuss about Haruno's powers," Captain Yamamoto started. Toushiro closed his eyes as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. Ukitate was browsing through the files silently, Rangiku noticed. She glanced at the short captain beside her.

"Taichou, that file. Isn't it supposed to be under your care?" Toushiro opened his eyes to look up at the blonde woman. "He had asked Haruno to get it from me," Toushiro replied. Rangiku nodded in response and waited for the Captain Commander to continue.

"The wind power that Haruno possesses, I'm quite curious about it. Aizawa Ryo had the same power," Captain Yamamoto said. He glanced at Ukitake beside him. "Got anything?"

Ukitake shook his head. "I failed to find any relations Aizawa-kun had with the Haruno clan. That is to be expected, since Aizawa-kun was a Shinigami while the Haruno clan is just an average clan from the Shinobi world. But then… Aizawa-kun's wife…" Ukitake trailed off, observing everyone's expression for a while before he continued, "Shouko…A kunoichi from the Shinobi world. Her clan name is unknown. However, it is confirmed that she didn't come from the Haruno clan." Everyone thought back in silence after that.

Aizawa Ryo was one of the intelligent Shinigamis in Soul Society. He had been the one who discovered that another world existed, the Shinobi world. Not long after the discovery, he set foot on one of the lands and began to learn about the nature and the living beings there. He had kept his identity secret, telling the people around him that he was a ninja just like them. However, his uniform still had raised people's suspicion. A few days later with Kisuke's invention of gigai, Ryo, wearing an artificial soul, had then successfully convinced the people that he was just an ordinary ninja. Ryo would raise an eyebrow when a regular citizen wearing simple clothing with no weapons around them didn't respond to Ryo's presence. He later found out that only ninjas, with high spiritual power, can detect a Shinigami.

His identity was then uncovered by an intelligent, beautiful woman. She was one of the ninjas that had hanged out with Ryo during the period of time he 'lived' there. Though he was not very sociable, the ninjas had made good relations with the Shinigami. Shouko came from one of the powerful clans. Being the kind woman, she had promised that Ryo's true self will not be exposed.

And then fate threw them both together. Ryo and Shouko had fallen in love with each other. A Shinigami and a ninja. They had found it hard at first imagining a life together in the future.

While Soul Society had found it hard to accept the relationship, no one protested at first. On the other hand, Shouko's friends had congratulated both Ryo and Shouko. Their acquaintances had realized that the two were having feelings for each other ever since they both met for the first time. Ryo and Shouko were happy in the eyes of everyone, but behind it all, only the both of them knew. They had bickered almost all the time and their thoughts had been in disarray all because they wanted to be together forever. But they knew it was impossible.

One day, they made up, spent the night together and woke up to an indescribable feeling.

"Ryo… Did you regret… of what we did last night…?" Shouko asked, her eyes on the verge of tears. Ryo wrapped his arms around Shouko and pulled her into an embrace.

"No. Whatever happens next, let's face it together."

Shouko nodded in his chest, agreeing fully to his statement. Ryo then kissed her on the forehead.

However, Ryo's life didn't last long. He died in the war during the first hollow invasion in Shinobi world. Albeit he was strong, the war was intense and horrible accidents had occurred. Shouko had lived… and she had lived raising her and Ryo's one daughter.

"The hollows made their second attack in Shinobi world about sixteen years later," Ukitake told everyone.

"What about the daughter?" Kyouraku questioned suddenly. Some Shinigamis then became curious and so they nodded at the question. Ukitake turned to a new paper in the folder.

"There's some information about Aizawa-kun's daughter here," Ukitake stated.

"Hmm… Daughter? I find it hard to see a possibility of her being related to Sakura-san," told Shuuhei. Kira turned to face the Lieutenant of the ninth division beside him. "But who knows?"

"We might find out something but I sorta doubt it. I mean, if Aizawa Ryo and Shouko do not have any relations to Sakura-san, how would their daughter be any different?" Renji spoke. Unohana who had remained unspoken from earlier suddenly talked, "Let Ukitake-taichou do his work carefully. He might find something."

Captain Yamamoto nodded in agreement.

"We shall now discuss the possibilities of Haruno being related to Aizawa Ryo's daughter!"

**X**

**Karakura High School, Human World.**

It was break time and the students were having their lunch in their classroom while some enjoyed their meal at the canteen. With the exception of Uryuu and Sakura, who were talking to each other in a hallway just outside his classroom. The pink-haired girl sneezed.

"You okay?" Uryuu asked. Sakura nodded. "Someone must've been talking about me," Sakura spoke in a low voice which Uryuu could barely heard.

"So where were we…Oh yeah. Uryuu-san, if it's okay with you, would you like to have a battle with me?" she requested quite shyly due to her not being close to him as of yet. Uryuu adjusted his glasses. "And why is that?" He didn't mean to think low of the ninja. But he thought that he was more powerful than her and could take down the girl with ease. The Quincy just didn't want to hurt the girl.

"I wanted to train more. I've fought against Shuuhei-san, Renji-san, Kira-kun and Rangiku-san before. I lost to all of them," Sakura grinned sheepishly and added, "Since you're a Quincy, there might be a difference."

"Don't underestimate me."

"Ah, n-no. I didn't mean that," Sakura rubbed the back of her head and pouted. Then a familiar voice came.

"Sakura-chan~!" Sakura became pale instantly. "It's Keigo!" she exclaimed in horror.

"Asano-kun?" Uryuu turned to see Keigo running to get Sakura, his arms readily outstretched. Sakura immediately slid an arm through Uryuu's and dragged him with her away from Keigo's reach. Uryuu sweatdropped.

"Quick, Uryuu-san! Where's the best place to hide?" Sakura asked as she kept on dragging the Quincy. The kunoichi had had enough with Keigo flirting with her.

"Wait up, Sakura-chan~!" Keigo was not far behind. He begged and cried Anime tears for her. Uryuu had quickened his pace as Sakura began to run much faster.

"Hey, slow down. Turn right and you'll see a door that leads to another hallway. Asano-kun won't see you if you're quick," Uryuu told her. Uryuu attempted to release himself but to no avail as Sakura increased her speed and tightened her grip on Uryuu. Sakura turned right to find another hallway and searched for the mentioned door. When she spotted it, she released Uryuu's arm and said, "We haven't done talking yet."

Again, Sakura dragged Uryuu with her, this time grabbing his sleeve and ran towards the door.

**X**

Ichigo scratched his head as he sighed in annoyance. He leaned against the door behind him and glared softly at the petite woman in front of him.

"Ichigo, it's not my fault. You don't have to sulk, you know. Geez, so unmanly," Rukia said teasingly. Ichigo pointed to his eyes, which were quite baggy as a result of not much sleep in five straight days.

"They could've at least sent two Shinigamis to help me! I didn't want to disturb Inoue, Chad or Ishida. After all, it's a Shinigami's duty to defeat the hollows."

"Ichigo, Soul Society believed you're strong enough to take down the hollows."

"But there were like freakin' more than twenty of them to take down in one night!"

Rukia sweatdropped. At that moment, she could already see smoke coming out of Ichigo's ears. Suddenly, the door behind Ichigo was forcefully opened and Sakura and Uryuu jumped in. Ichigo was forced to bump into Rukia, who couldn't support his weight and so both of them collapsed onto the cold floor.

It had happened too quickly. Ichigo accidentally pressed his lips to Rukia's soft ones. They stared wide-eyed at each other. Fortunately for both of them, Uryuu and Sakura were far ahead, still running and unable to witness the scene. Sakura had managed to say sorry to whoever she kicked the door at without looking back.

Horrified, Ichigo and Rukia scooted away from each other at lightning speed.

"Gah, what the heck?" Ichigo touched his lips. Rukia still held a shock expression. Her face was totally flushed.

**X**

**Konoha Village, Shinobi World.**

Tsunade scanned the pages of the book she was currently holding. Shikamaru and Neji observed the Hokage with curiosity as they didn't know yet as to why they were summoned to the office. When the Hokage seemed satisfied, she handed the book to Shikamaru. The Chuunin stared at the book for a while. 'Different Dimension' was written on the cover.

"Shikamaru… Neji... Your mission is to find out the author of that book!" Tsunade stated quite firmly. Shikamaru, Neji and Shizune were taken aback. "Tsunade-sama! I know these boys are genius and you picked the right people but to find out the name of the author who lived over a century ago is almost impossible!" told the medic. Tsunade seemed to ignore the medic as Tsunade's eyes were fixed at the boys in front of her.

"You two have already known about the Shinigami's suspicion of Sakura, right? I want you to meet Mrs. Haruno and interrogate her. There might be something that you two will find out. Report to me after that," told Tsunade. Shikamaru sighed.

"_Another troublesome mission."_

Nonetheless, Neji and Shikamaru agreed to take the mission.

**X**

Once they left the Hokage mansion, Neji and Shikamaru headed straight towards the Haruno residence. When the doorbell was unsighted, Shikamaru knocked on the door. Several moments later, the door opened and a tall woman with green eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair greeted the men at the door. She was wearing a white dress with three red circular designs at the bottom of the front of her dress.

"Can I help you?"

"Mrs. Haruno, right?" Neji asked. The woman nodded in response.

"We're…Sakura's friends. We wished to ask a few questions about your family. It's the Godaime's order," Shikamaru stated.

The woman seemed to understand what the men's intention was so she allowed them in. "Have a seat." Mrs. Haruno motioned to the living room. Neji and Shikamaru comforted themselves on a long, black couch.

"Would you like some tea?" Mrs. Haruno offered and made her way to the kitchen. However, Neji stopped her, "There's no need to do so. We won't be here long." Shikamaru nodded in agreement. Mrs. Haruno nodded slowly before she sat on a couch across from the two ninjas.

"Let us introduce ourselves first. I'm Nara Shikamaru, Chuunin." Shikamaru turned to look at Neji. "Hyuuga Neji. Jounin." Neji said simply. Mrs. Haruno nodded.

"My name is Haruno Mebuki. Glad to meet more of Sakura's friends," Mebuki said and smiled. She observed the men before her for a while before she questioned, "What do you want to know about? I'll answer what I can."

Both Neji and Shikamaru felt slightly guilty looking at Mebuki's calm expression despite knowing that she was going to be interrogated about her daughter.

"Haruno-san, do you know that Sakura is now a Shinigami? Unlike the rest of the six Shinobis who are still training in the Shinigami academy," Shikamaru began and observed Mebuki's slight surprised expression on her face.

"Oh, really? That's great. I'm proud of Sakura," told Mebuki, a hand rested on her chest. Neji and Shikamaru looked at each other before returning their gaze back to the older woman.

"However, it's way too early and unusual for a human being like her to obtain Shinigami powers within a month. I'm not really sure if it is unusual or whatsoever because I have no idea how the ninjas train to become a Shinigami. But the Shinigamis stated that it's very strange," told Shikamaru while Neji remained silent. Mebuki's smile faded.

"But isn't Sakura a ninja? She should have an advantage there."

"That doesn't change the fact that Sakura is a human being. The Shinigamis are souls, not humans," Shikamaru stated. _"Except for Kurosaki Ichigo. He's a human being just like us but has a great power,"_ Neji thought. He had been studying about Soul Society and the humans in the Living world who were involved. So far, he had known about Ichigo, Orihime and Sado. He did come across the Quincy part on a certain page of a book that contained information about them all. But due to his tight schedule, he hadn't been able to cover that part.

Shikamaru sighed before he glanced at Neji again. This time Neji didn't look instead he closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. The Chuunin said again.

"What I am about to tell you is what was stated in the report given by the Shinigamis to the Hokage. The Shinigamis had made few observations on Sakura and checked through her profile to see whether they can learn more about her background. However, they didn't find anything…great or suspicious… that might've been the reason behind Sakura's unusual powers. Her chakra and power are not as vast as the other six Shinobis."

Mebuki's eyes narrowed. "Do they not believe in Sakura? Maybe she's gotten powerful and obtained Shinigami powers through hard training and-"

"Haruno-san, I understand how you feel. However, I'm not going to talk more about what the report said. I have no idea how the Shinigamis made those judgments. The reason why we're here is to learn more about Sakura's background. The Hokage needs to know more about the Haruno clan's past. Say…Sakura's ancestor? By any chance do you know someone in your family who was involved in the war about a century ago…during the time when hollows attack the villagers in this world?"

Mebuki sighed and closed her eyes. Silence descended upon the living room.

"My grandfather… When I was a young child, he once told me a story about his father." That caught the men's interest in an instant.

"In other words… A story about your great grandfather?" Neji finally spoke. Mebuki nodded and continued, "Great grandfather… he was only eighteen years old during the hollow invasion. It was horrible, grandfather had told me. The attack lasted for about five months and thousands of people died. Hollows had kept on coming… And Shinigamis also had come to help the ninjas fend off the monsters. However, the Menos appeared and attacked as well and they were the reason that many people died."

Unaware to everyone in the house, someone was eavesdropping outside. The person turned on her heels and stepped out of the door step to head towards somewhere.

"Menos?" Shikamaru looked at Mebuki questioningly.

"Menos are hollows as well, but they're stronger… much stronger than any normal hollows. Grandfather told me that only high-trained Shinigamis could kill them."

"Tch, troublesome. First it's the Arrancar… now Menos? What else that we don't know about?" Shikamaru seemed frustrated and turned to face Neji. "I think that's all about hollows. Arrancar is stronger than Menos, mind you," told the Jounin.

Shikamaru looked back at Mebuki. "You sure know a lot of things that we don't. I wonder if there are other people who know a lot more." Mebuki shook her head.

"I'm afraid I'm the only one who knew. Of all people, great grandfather was the only ninja who had a close relation with a Shinigami, and he had told all his stories to grandfather."

Silence filled the room again.

"Elaborate, please," Neji said. Mebuki took a deep breath before she began, "Great grandfather had met a young girl, who's about sixteen years old at that time and he was eighteen. This girl, according to him, had mixed blood of… Shinigami and ninja." Shikamaru and Neji's eyes widened. Mebuki continued before anyone could interrupt.

"The father's a Shinigami while the mother's a ninja."

Shikamaru and Neji listened in awe. Mebuki went silent for a while as she tried to recall what her grandfather had told her. "Great grandfather had known this girl for a long time. Long before the hollow invasion. They were good friends. But she later died from saving great grandfather from the horrible attack by the Menos."

It took a few minutes for both Neji and Shikamaru to speak again. "So now we learned that a Shinigami was the **first**to come to Shinobi world before the hollows did," Shikamaru said.

"And that Shinigami met a ninja and later their daughter was born. About sixteen years later, the hollows appeared in the Shinobi world. That must be it." Neji said and observed Mebuki's calm expression, yet it showed some hints of worry. Possibly a concern for her daughter, Sakura.

"One more thing. Where were you when the hollow made its first attack here about a few months ago?" Shikamaru asked. Mebuki looked down on her lap. "My husband and I were away in another village to visit a friend of ours. When we came back home, which was a few hours after the incident, we were surprised by the news. Sakura had told us everything. After that, she just went upstairs and locked herself in her room. Later on, Sakura told us her decision to leave for Soul Society. We fought for a while because I was very against it. But then I recalled about my great grandfather's story so for once, I gave in."

"I think that's all we need to know. We had come to the right person," Shikamaru stated. He was about to stand when Neji stopped him. "Haruno-san, I want you to observe this book," Neji handed the blue book to Mebuki and she took it gently. Shikamaru sat back down. Mebuki read the book title carefully.

'Different Dimension'

Mebuki smiled all of the sudden as she slowly turned the pages of the book and browsed through briefly. She ran a hand on the cover of the book. "This book…great grandfather wrote it."

_"Mission completed."_

Shikamaru looked slightly shocked. Neji, although surprised, kept his usual expression. "Do you still remember the girl's name, Haruno-san?" Neji asked.

"Hikari."

The story told by Mebuki's grandfather was still crystal clear to her. Shikamaru and Neji nodded at each other. "The name of the author…your great grandfather's name?" Mebuki handed the book back to Neji.

"Haruno Daisuke."

**X**

**Karakura Town, Human World.**

A hollow was spotted in Karakura town again. Sakura had just returned from Karakura High School and was now rushing to get the hollow, already in her Shinigami form. The hollow was not far from Urahara's shop. She defeated the hollow with ease. Kisuke and Yoruichi were able to witness Sakura's performance. They were amazed at Sakura's Zanpakutou. But Kisuke immediately realized the truth about the power. He then whispered something to Yoruichi.

"Got it."

And Yoruichi disappeared in an instant. Rukia arrived at the shop moments later. "You're late, Rukia-san!" Sakura grinned. Rukia smiled back at the pink-haired Shinigami. Kisuke went to Sakura's side.

"Haruno-san, I'm stunned. Your Shinigamis skills have improved," Kisuke commented. Sakura could only smile. _"But I'm still not strong enough."_

"I was informed about your mission. You two can stay here in my shop," Kisuke offered. Rukia and Sakura flashed a smile. "Thanks!"

**X**

**Konoha Village, Shinobi World. **

Kakashi chuckled softly as he turned a page in his copy of the Icha Icha Tactics book. He leaned against a tree, and continued reading his favourite book. A sudden rustle in the bushes didn't seem to catch the Jounin's attention as his eyes were fixated on the book. Suddenly, a black cat landed in front of Kakashi. Carefully observing its surroundings, the cat began to walk out of the forest.

"And who might you be?"

Startled, the cat glanced at Kakashi, whose face was still glued to the small blue book. The cat walked back to Kakashi. "Impressive. You could tell that I'm not just a normal cat," Yoruichi looked up at the Jounin and was a bit annoyed that Kakashi still hadn't looked at her. Finally, Kakashi tucked the perverted book into his pouch and crouched into a sitting position to meet the black cat.

"Who wouldn't feel strange if an unusual black cat with rare yellow eyes came past you?" Kakashi responded. Yoruichi chuckled. "I'm Shihouin Yoruichi. I came from the Living world of the other dimension." Kakashi nodded, his speculation was correct.

"Any particular reason you came here?" Kakashi asked as politely as possible. He was a bit suspicious of the talking cat, but he had a feeling that it meant no harm.

"A friend of mine just discovered something about Haruno Sakura. Because it seemed important, he asked me to explain about it to anyone who is closely related to her," Yoruichi explained.

"I think I'm trustworthy," Kakashi said. Yoruichi narrowed her cat eyes at the man. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Hatake Kakashi. Sakura's sensei," the jounin smiled. Yoruichi thought that there was no need to not believe the guy. So, she nodded.

"I can tell you then. Anyway, I'm thirsty. Could you take me to a place where I can drink? I got lost earlier in this village," Yoruichi admitted, her tone told Kakashi that the cat was quite annoyed. She didn't enjoy it at all when she had wandered around the village aimlessly, looking like a lost cat. Kakashi sighed and got up to his feet.

"I'll just take you to my house. Follow me." In an instant, Kakashi was ahead of the black cat. Without giving any response, Yoruichi followed the Jounin closely behind.

**X**

"How come you're not surprised to see a talking cat when you first saw me?" Yoruichi asked as Kakashi opened the door to his bedroom.

"I don't see any reason to be shocked over something like that. In this world, we have talking dogs, frogs, slugs and cats as well," Kakashi stated matter-of-factly. Yoruichi let out an 'oh', hiding her surprised expression. She leapt onto Kakashi's study table and observed the Team 7 picture quietly. By now she had fully believed that Kakashi was Sakura's sensei when she spotted a younger version of Sakura in the picture.

"What do you want to drink?" Kakashi asked, scratching his hair. Yoruichi glanced at Kakashi for a while before looking back at the picture. "Milk," she answered simply.

"Oh yeah, you're a cat." Kakashi was about to leave the room when Yoruichi interrupted him. "Kakashi, just give me a bottle of milk instead of serving it in a bowl." Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "How are you going to drink it like that? You don't expect me to feed you, do you?" When he didn't get any response, Kakashi left the room and went to the kitchen.

The jounin came back moments later and put a bottle of milk on his desk beside the cat. "Thank you," Yoruichi said. Kakashi sat on his bed and watched how Yoruichi was going to deal with the bottle of milk. A sigh escaped Kakashi's lips when Yoruichi descended onto the floor, ignoring the drink that Kakashi had offered. He took out his Icha Icha Tactics book and read the part where he stopped at earlier.

"So what do you want to tell about Sakura?" Kakashi asked. When Yoruichi didn't respond for a few seconds, Kakashi looked up from his book questioningly. He jolted when the cat's eyes glowed. Slowly, the cat shapeshifted into a tall woman. Kakashi's eyes widened as he stared at the woman in shock. Yoruichi chuckled and crossed her arms over her chest. Her nude form was shown to the Jounin.

"W-woman?" Kakashi felt liquid dripped down his nose. He was getting a nosebleed. By the way the cat had talked, Kakashi had expected that Yoruichi was a male. Yoruichi smirked as she was amused seeing the man's reaction. She sat on a chair and chugged the contents of the bottle that Kakashi had given her earlier. When the bottle was empty, Yoruichi grinned. "Mm, although it's different from the one in my world, this one doesn't taste bad." She placed the empty bottle back on the table. She observed Kakashi intently. He was still shocked and his back was now pressed to the wall.

"Oi, don't act like you've seen a ghost! Although it's funny seeing that silly expression of yours," Yoruichi stated. Kakashi's face eventually calmed down.

"Uh…"

Yoruichi added, "This is my true form." Kakashi let out an 'oh' and lied down on the bed. He grabbed his favourite book and began to read it. He put a hand behind his head.

"Well then… Tell me what you have discovered about Sakura."

**X**

**Karakura Town, Human World.**

Sakura thought deeply, as she lied on the futon, about her current situation. She was glad that Uryuu had decided to have a spar with her. But frustration got to her when Uryuu hadn't decided on the proper time. Most likely the two wouldn't have a battle against each other if the Quincy wouldn't call her within few days of Sakura's stay in the living world. She sighed. There was also one thing that was bothering her.

Her feelings.

She was aware that she had fallen for the the tenth division taichou. After Sasuke, the kunoichi never knew that she would fall in love with anyone again…especially not with a Shinigami. Sakura had always thought that the avenger would be her first and last love. How wrong she was. To begin with, Toushiro had always been in her mind ever since she started as a seated officer in the tenth division squad. Shinigami training and work were her main priority, so all these while she had thought those feelings were just another silly, unwanted crush.

Sakura was highly delighted though to find out how far she had progressed so far. Although not fully acknowledged in Konoha, she was considered to be one of the best kunoichis and one of the top medic ninjas. On top of that, she was currently undergoing Shinigami training to become more powerful. Hopefully after she protected Konoha from the dangers of hollows, the name Haruno Sakura will be recognized throughout the village. Just like Neji and Shikamaru- the genius, Hinata- the Hyuuga heir, and even Naruto...

That aside, she was now thinking back about Hitsugaya Toushiro. Sakura blushed and went further under the sheets. Although it was fully bright outside, she needed rest.

"_What will taichou think of me if I act strangely whenever I'm around him?"_

She remembered the accidental kiss. Toushiro didn't give a good response, but he acted as if anything hadn't happened. Then there was the scene where Toushiro walked side by side with her around Rukongai, carried her bridal style towards the fourth division building, grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the forest. And the two had hugged in the cave.

Sakura squealed softly. Those moments were playing in her mind at that moment. Suddenly, she frowned upon realization.

"But what does he think about me?"

A ringing sound disrupted her thoughts. She sighed heavily. She grabbed her handphone and stared at the screen.

"Ino?"

**-End of Chapter 15-**

* * *

**Next Chapter: Confession.**

**A/N: Chapter fifteen was too long, so I decided to break it down to two chapters. And I changed the title for the next chapter because it sounds a bit inappropriate for the chapter, I guess. Well, go and read chapter 16 now. :) Hope you enjoy it. Reviews are appreciated. It'd be great if you leave reviews for the two chapters so I know how good each chapter was. **


	16. Confession

From Two Different Dimensions

Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.

Chapter 16: Confession

* * *

"They doubt my powers?!"

Everything was just going so well until her bestfriend called, telling Sakura the conversation Mrs. Haruno had had with Shikamaru and Neji. Ino had told Sakura everything what the blonde had heard in the Haruno residence. Sakura was still gaping and was now standing on her feet. She didn't think twice before saying the last few sentences out loud. Hopefully everyone was downstairs and didn't hear it.

"Sakura, as a bestfriend, I think I should tell you this. I know you trained your ass off in Soul Society. But the Shinigamis are suspicious of your powers. I was surprised to hear it from Shikamaru. He and Neji-san wouldn't lie about that," Ino said. Sakura felt her lips wavered but she remained strong.

"What else did Shikamaru and Neji-san say? What did my mother tell them?" Sakura questioned, her tone was quite shaky. She was angered as well that her mother was being interrogated. It must be Tsunade's orders. Sakura couldn't just believe everything…everyone.

"I also heard about your great grandfather being involved in the war a century ago. But I think that's it," told Ino on the other line. Sakura nodded.

"Thanks."

The call ended without Ino saying anything else as Sakura didn't give any chance. The device in her hand was switched off immediately and Sakura gathered all her strength to go outside.

"_I need to get fresh air."_

When she got downstairs, she was surprised to see not only Rukia and Kisuke, but the rest of the Shinigamis, who had stepped into the Urahara shop. They were wearing the school uniform. Rangiku, Renji, Toushiro and Ikkaku were at the door, looking quite pleased and calm despite the huge meeting they were having a few hours ago.

"Yo Sakura. The rest has come," Kisuke greeted Sakura with a grin. Sakura acknowledged the newcomers with a nod. When she saw Toushiro, he was already looking at her. Sakura blushed.

_Toushiro… No. Hitsugaya-taichou..._

"Excuse me. I'm going out for a while," Sakura muttered but enough for everyone to hear. She slowly made her way past Toushiro and Ikkaku and dashed out of the shop. Everyone watched her run, slightly confused. Sakura's unusual serious face concerned both Rangiku and Toushiro.

"Did Kon do something bad again?" Renji directed the question at Kisuke. The shop owner shook his head. "Kon's not here," Rukia stated. Rangiku bent down and whispered something to Toushiro.

"Run after her and talk with her, taichou. She might have a problem." Rangiku winked. Instead of being annoyed, Toushiro closed his eyes. "Why should I?" He walked away from the group and headed towards the kitchen. "Urahara, do you mind if I have a glass of water?"

"No, Hitsugaya-taichou," Kisuke said. Toushiro nodded and made his way inside the kitchen. By the time he retrieved a glass of water, he heard the group chatted smoothly outside the kitchen. Toushiro glanced at the open window. He had chugged his drink before he jumped out gracefully through the small opening. Once he landed outside, he sighed and walked calmly out of the field.

X

**Konoha Village, Shinobi World.**

"Are you saying that this Aizawa Ryo guy is somewhat related to Sakura?"

Yoruichi nodded. She had been in Soul Society before so she knew everything about Ryo. When Kisuke told her that Sakura's powers were exactly the same as Ryo's past powers, Yoruichi was taken aback. She only realized the similarity between the two powers when Kisuke told her.

"So I assume that you wanted to ask me several questions about Sakura, is that right?" Kakashi questioned. Although his eyes were fixed at the book, he wasn't really reading it. A way to avoid his gaze from the naked woman. No matter how much of a pervert he was. Yoruichi didn't say a word. Kakashi then sat up, but he was not facing the lady.

"I'm not sure if I can tell much," Kakashi sighed. "I'm very surprised to know something about Sakura's power as well."

"I hope you'll cooperate with me in this matter. Everyone's curious to know."

"But don't underestimate Sakura. It might be just a coincidence that Aizawa Ryo's power is similar to Sakura's."

"I don't. I've seen Sakura-san fought in Soul Society before and to be honest, she's a good fighter. But the wind power is just not her nature," Yoruichi stated as she stood up. Kakashi remained in his position.

"Well. I'm going back to human world. See you, Kakashi," Yoruichi smiled. The silver-haired jounin didn't say a word, so Yoruichi just headed towards the door. Just when she was about to step out, a hand grabbed her shoulder. She didn't have to look back to find out who it was.

"Yoruichi-san, you're not going outside like that, are you?" Kakashi interrogated. Yoruichi bit back a laugh as she turned around to face Kakashi. This time, he didn't look away. _Hot._

"Nope. I was going to change back to my cat form. Does it bother you if I don't?" Yoruichi teased. Kakashi coughed. He changed the topic immediately. "I'll report to the Hokage what we have discussed a while ago. See you," Kakashi said and turned his back to the woman. Yoruichi smirked. She then changed to her animal form and left Kakashi's house.

X

**Karakura Town, Human World.**

Sakura grew uncomfortable with her current situation. Just when she was getting stronger and was about to prove to everyone she was quite powerful, everyone doubt her power. She sighed heavily and let herself enjoy the caress of the gentle breeze. Glancing down the cliff, she observed the rocky waves. To her, that high place was a suitable place for her to be at at the moment. It was peaceful with nothing but the sea air accompanying her.

"This sucks."

Then there was a loud crashing sound near the trees. Sakura got to her feet and was horrified to see a giant hollow coming at her. She fumbled in her pouch for either her Shinigami badge or pill. She cursed when she didn't find her pouch, remembering that she had left it at the Urahara shop.

"Guess I have to do it my ninja way."

Sakura lunged at the hollow and attacked the monster with a chakra enhanced fist. The hollow crashed into the trees, creating a messy sight. The attack wasn't enough as the hollow got up and prepared to attack Sakura. She leapt into the air and landed a heavy kick at the hollow's face, almost breaking its mask. When Sakura landed, she was on the edge of the cliff. She gasped. It was too late to move away when the hollow slapped her off the cliff harsly.

She screamed as fear washed over her. The rocky waves below were deadly. Sakura took out a kunai with an explosion tag from her kunai holster and threw the weapon at the hollow on top of the cliff. The explosion destroyed the hollow completely and large rocks fell off. Sakura used them as a path for her way up. She dashed from one to another. As there were only small rocks left, Sakura tried to grip a part of the cliff that hadn't crumbled. But she failed to do so and screamed as she prepared herself to plunge into the water.

Sakura closed her eyes. She suddenly felt her wrist being gripped by someone. Sakura opened her eyes in surprise. It shocked her more to find out who her savior was.

"Hitsugaya-taichou!"

"Haruno, hang on!" Although Sakura was happy to be saved by her love, she was afraid because both of them were falling. There was a splash. And the two were nowhere to be seen. Toushiro was the one to appear first. He breathed in the air heavily. Sakura then came floating. Her eyes were heavy. She looked like she was hurt. Toushiro swam towards Sakura and grabbed her wrist.

"Are you alright?" Sakura held her forehead with one free hand. "I hit one of the rocks when we fell," Sakura told Toushiro. Toushiro swam up to shore, bringing Sakura with him. When they reached the land, Toushiro picked Sakura up bridal style and walked towards the trees. He put the kunoichi down and let her rest against a tree.

"We're completely drenched," Toushiro said as he sat beside Sakura. She didn't respond as she healed her head with green chakra. There was silence. Toushiro waited for the kunoichi to speak up, as the one who was talkative and always the first to speak up was Sakura. But Sakura was deep in her own thoughts. _"They don't believe my powers?"_ Sakura tried not to voice that out loud.

"Taichou… Is it true that Soul Society doubts my powers?" Sakura was betrayed to ask the question. Toushiro was taken aback. He looked at the girl beside him. The boy felt a pang of guilt but he remained calm.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't bluff, taichou," Sakura replied back and put her face in her hands, realizing that she had gone too far with the Captain.

"Haruno, what…" Toushiro's sentence was cut when his phone vibrated. He was surprised to find out that the device was still functioning despite being wet. Toushiro answered the call.

"Hitsugaya Toushiro of the tenth division squad speaking."

"Hitsugaya-taichou, it's me Urahara. I need you to return back to my shop. Yoruichi-san has returned from Shinobi world and we have something to discuss about Sakura-san," Kisuke said on the other line. Toushiro looked at Sakura, who was now staring emptily at the sea. Again, the young captain felt a bit guilty that he had to keep the discussion a secret from his pink-haired subordinate. Toushiro got up and went deep into the forest, making sure that Sakura wouldn't hear him talking on the phone.

Sakura sighed. Then her phone vibrated. She flipped it open to answer the call. Amazingly enough, the mobile phone wasn't damaged after being soaked in the water. "Hello," Sakura greeted.

"Haru-chan. This is Kazuma Yusuke," the Shinigami on the other line spoke. _"Oh that guy. I haven't heard from him for a long time since our battle in the training field."_

"What is it, Yusuke?" Sakura asked. It was strange to have the fifth seat officer calling her at that time. "Captain Commander ordered you to return back to Soul Society. Your job in the human world is done," Yusuke told Sakura. Sakura sighed once again. "Got it."

Then, her phone turned off by itself. It started to take effect of the water. _"Great. Now I'm gonna have to find someone to repair this thing,"_ Sakura thought. Glancing behind her, she didn't find any trace of Toushiro, much to her relief.

"I have an unfinished business," Sakura said and ran off, not bothering to tell Toushiro. She got something to do before she had to return back to Soul Society.

"Alright, I'll tell her to wait at Kurosaki's house since you said that Kuchiki has gone there." And the call ended. Toushiro made his way out of the forest to find Sakura. When he didn't find her at the original spot and couldn't trace her reiatsu, he growled.

"That woman."

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society.**

Sakura annoyingly arranged the books on the shelf with a bitter face. Her day had gotten worse. She never knew that she was called back to Soul Society for nothing. The Captain Commander had told her that the current Shinigamis in the human world were enough for the mission. Sakura just had to resume her training and all in Soul Society.

But before she returned to Soul Society, she had gone to Uryuu's house and asked him to have a one-on-one with her. Uryuu had refused several times. He was just not the man who would want to hurt women. It took a lot of effort to persuade the Quincy into fighting. At the end, Uryuu gave up and granted Sakura's wish, if not for Sakura dragging him by the collar and brought him to a remote place where no one could see them fighting.

Throughout the battle, Uryuu was holding back a bit which resulted in Sakura almost winning. Sakura had gotten hit by some of Uryuu's arrows but barely. The kunoichi was not in her Shinigami form so she had to twice her ninja powers in order to match closely to her more superior Shinigami powers.

Sakura accepted her defeat gladly, determined to train harder again to win on matches in the future.

She had gone to Urahara shop after the fight to retrieve some of her things. By the time she arrived at the shop, the Shinigamis and Yoruichi had just finished their meeting. Sakura had flashed them a not genuine smile and told them that Soul Society canceled her mission.

"This sucks!"

Yusuke looked up from his paperwork to look at the irritated girl near the large bookshelf. "Hitsugaya-taichou's paperwork is much tougher than the work you're doing, Haru-chan."

Sakura rolled her eyes. She pointed to the pile of books lying on the floor. "There are hundreds of them to be arranged according to the years they were printed!" Yusuke whistled. Toushiro's office was silent after that as both the Shinigamis in the room busied themselves with their work. Sakura stopped her actions for a while to look at the male at the captain's desk.

Yusuke was a very different person when he was in the battle field. His true personality was there at the moment- calm, polite and mild-mannered. Not to mention handsome. Those blue eyes were soft. Unlike the ones they once were in the battle field.

"_**It doesn't matter to me if you're a woman. In the battle field, we must fight seriously."**_

After that match, Yusuke had approached her and befriended her within a short time. Even Sakura had found it hard to be friends with some of the Shinigamis in Soul Society at first. Renji, Shuuhei, Toushiro and Momo for instance.

"Haru-chan, is there something on my face?"

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts. "Ah, n-no!" She laughed sheepishly and blushed in embarrassment. She didn't notice that she had been staring at the man for a long time. Yusuke smirked. "Tsk, Haru-chan. You like me, don't you?" Sakura ignored him and continued putting up the books, knowing that Yusuke was only joking. He was good at it. Then Sakura fell back into her thoughts again.

"_Hitsugaya-taichou, do you doubt my powers too?"_ she thought sadly. _"Is it because I became a Shinigami too early that Soul Society doubts my powers? What's wrong with me being able to do that? I know that I'm only a Chuunin. The seven shinobi have the potential to gain Shinigami powers earlier than me because they're stronger. I don't know how I got this powers but I know I'm very determined to become stronger."_

There was a movement. Before she knew it, she was sitting on the couch. Yusuke was beside her, holding her wrist. "Done daydreaming?" Sakura came back to reality. She realized that Yusuke had brought her to the couch. Sakura released her hand from Yusuke's grip. "What's with the long face?" Yusuke asked again. Sakura didn't respond instead she leaned back in the seat.

"They don't believe my powers," Sakura said. She knew that it was alright to tell Yusuke about this. Both Shinigamis were close enough to express their feelings. Yusuke observed Sakura's watery eyes. A sigh escaped his lips. He was not good with crying girls. He sucked at it.

"I heard about it, Haru-chan," he told Sakura. The girl hung her head in further disappointment. Yusuke placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder in reassurance. "But you can't say Soul Society doubts your power. That's totally wrong." Sakura looked up at Yusuke in surprise. The older Shinigami scratched his head. "This is supposed to be top secret. I don't know how the info leaked to you but because you misunderstood, I have to tell you the truth. And because I'm your friend," he said and looked away, definitely not very used to saying the last sentence. Almost every Shinigamis have someone close to them, but the word 'friend' was rare. That was why everyone called each other with their last names instead of their first names.

Yusuke started his explanation, "The Gotei 13 don't really doubt your powers. They believe that you're strong. But what's got them suspicious is your type of power. It resembles a lot the power of a Shinigami who once lived here. The Captains and lieutenants believed that the powers were passed down to you, Haru-chan." Sakura listened in disbelief at first. "A Shinigami with the same powers as mine… How come? Who is he? Where is he now? And how do you know about this?" Sakura questioned Yusuke continuously.

"His name is Aizawa Ryo. He's dead a century ago. And the last question. Matsumoto fuku-taichou told me all about this after the meeting over sake. And I know Aizawa. He was my mentor before. I've seen his amazing powers and I've fought against him countless times but he was always superior to me. And when I fought you in the training grounds, it kinda gave me déjà vu. I recognized your powers immediately so I got the upper hand actually," Yusuke said. Sakura continued to listen quietly. But this thought didn't miss the chance to say it. _"Hah! I could've won back then!"_

"And about the first question. Matsumoto fuku-taichou did tell me about it. But I'm afraid I can't tell you, Haru-chan. The Gotei 13 is still not certain of the possibility that they had came up with. Although the conclusion seemed fit, it's classified until someone confirmed it."

Sakura then frowned. "And that 'someone' is someone from Konoha, right?" Yusuke looked shocked but he kept his eyes at Sakura's. "Maybe," Yusuke stated simply. Sakura was an intelligent kunoichi. 

_"That explains why my mom was interrogated. Of all people in Konoha who knew most things about the current situation going on in Soul Society is none other than shishou. She must've got the info about Aizawa Ryo-kun and asked Shikamaru and Neji-san, the two cleverest ninjas, to get some info from my mom. They thought that my family had a connection with Aizawa Ryo-kun. Thank you very much, Ino. I don't know if I can get this much if it weren't for you telling me about the interrogation."_

Sakura continued to think, _"But how could my family know Aizawa Ryo-kun. He's a Shinigami and my clan is not a prestigious ninja clan. There's no way that the two had some connection."_

"Hikari no Tsubasa. That's your Zanpakutou's name, right?" Yusuke questioned. Sakura looked up at Yusuke from her thoughts. "Yes, why did you ask?" Yusuke shook his head. "Nothing." Sakura looked away and smiled. "Thank you, Yusuke. That sure cleared things up for me." Her tears were dried up. Sakura was now reassured and satisfied. Then the door opened quite abruptly, making the two Shinigamis jump in their seats with surprise. Toushiro stood at the door, his eyes were hard.

"Hitsugaya-taichou!" both Yusuke and Sakura exclaimed. Toushiro started walking, and stopped in front of Sakura. "I want to have a word with you." It was a statement, not a question. Sakura nodded slowly before getting up. Toushiro seized her wrist and brought her outside the office. Sakura widened her eyes in surprise. Without saying a word, she followed silently behind him. Yusuke watched them go and sighed.

"There goes my chance of being more intimate with her."

Using shunpo, the two arrived in a building without any Shinigamis noticing them. Toushiro led Sakura down a hallway. Sakura then recognized the place. _"I once went past this building to get to the next which was on fire at that time. Could it be… taichou's gonna bring me to his place?"_

The place was not large but not too small either. The room was quite sparse, with only a working table, a green couch and a bookshelf. There were three doors on one wall. Sakura remembered the middle one led to a bedroom where she had slept in once. There room was silent. Sakura stared at Toushiro's back as she waited for the young captain to talk. Then, he turned around.

"Haruno, we haven't finished our talk." Sakura immediately understood what Toushiro meant.

"_**Taichou… Is it true that Soul Society doubts my powers?" **_

"_**What are you talking about?"**_

"_**Don't bluff, taichou." **_

"_**Haruno, what…" **_

"No one doubts your powers. I have no idea what you were talking about. But when I heard what you and Kazuma said in my office, I understood what you meant. Haruno, you clearly misunderstood everything," Toushiro said. Sakura hung her head and clasped her hands together. _"So he heard what Yusuke and I were saying. Eavesdropping again." _Sakura thought of the last sentence jokingly.

"Yeah… Sorry," told an embarrassed Sakura. When she looked up, Toushiro was staring at her which made her blush. Sakura looked away. "I...I… uh…" Toushiro came closer to the female Shinigami. Sakura nervously took a few steps back until she hit the wall behind her. Toushiro stopped when he was at arm's length away from her.

"I just want you to know that I'll never doubt you." Sakura was touched by his words. She looked down and blushed more.

"_Tell him that you love him."_

"_What the fuck?"_

"_You can't content those feelings forever you know. Time flies so fast. You've been loving him for months. Before you know it, you have completed your powers, involved in war against the hollows, mission fulfilled and returned back to Konoha village where you will never see him again. Forever. You lived in Shinobi world. If you die, you will not be sent to Soul Society, unlike the human beings in the human world."_

"_What if I got rejected?"_

"_So what? It's not the end of the world. You're still going to be alive. Okay, at least you express your feelings. You cannot keep it to yourself forever."_

Sakura had been having those thoughts countless times. But her training and other business had masked all of them. Sakura decided. She then gathered her courage to speak up.

"And why did you run off after I left for a phone call?" Toushiro suddenly asked. Sakura's mood changed. Things weren't going to be easy for her. She looked at Toushiro in the eyes.

"I was called to go back to Soul Society," she stated.

"It's not nice to disappear like that. You know that. And you didn't go back here immediately after that. You didn't forget that you came back to Urahara's place after about half an hour, did you? So where were you before that?" Toushiro questioned, annoyed. His subordinate was lying, he noted.

"Are you angry at me?"

"Haruno, answer me."

"I was training with Uryuu-san. Why do you care, taichou?"

"Because I noticed that this subordinate of mine is sneaky and has become a good liar too." Sakura was taken aback. She couldn't deny what Toushiro said was correct. With a sigh, Sakura hung her head again, obviously feeling ashamed. "I'm sorry, Hitsugaya-taichou. To be honest, I couldn't face you at that time so I just fled. I was in a hurry too," Sakura admitted.

"Did you say you were training?" Toushiro asked. Sakura nodded slowly.

"You need to take this thing easy. You've been training non-stop," the silver-haired captain said. Still not looking at him, Sakura nodded. "Why are you so determined? Is it because you wanted to save that Uchiha so badly? If just for the sake of protecting your village from hollows, you know you're strong enough to take them down," Shocked, Sakura shot up her head. She couldn't believe that Toushiro just said Sasuke's name again. _"Did he not listen to what I said the other day? About Sasuke-kun being an illusion?"_

"No! I've told you before that I need to be stronger, to be acknowledged by others. Sasuke-kun is a dear friend of mine, but right now I could care less about what he's doing and focus on my training. After all, that's what I'm here for."

"_Yeah he might be fucking with his new teammates for all I care! Once all this about hollows is over, I'm gonna drag his ass back to Konoha."_

"Haruno, you love that Uchiha. You told me that as well. Uzumaki had told me how you changed after Uchiha left. Hearing you saying that, it's not quite right."

"I don't love him, damn it! It's you the one that I love, Hitsugaya-taichou!" Sakura widened her eyes and her hands covered her mouth instantly. How could she say those words so easily, she didn't know. What was important was that she let it out. And now Toushiro knew her feelings.

Toushiro was in big surprise. He didn't say a word as he continued to stare at the woman in front of him with his mouth slightly agape. The room fell in awkward silence and Sakura hated it. She hated her big mouth. She regretted saying it. Looking away from Sakura, Toushiro sighed. His reaction saddened the pink-haired Shinigami. She didn't need to know what he was going to say. It was obvious that she got rejected…again. Sakura then turned her back to Toushiro.

"F-forget it! Forget about what I just said, Hitsugaya-taichou…Haha," Sakura said shakily. Toushiro didn't give any response to that as he continued staring at the wall. Sakura held back her tears that threatened to fall. She desperately wanted to cry, but not in front of Toushiro.

Sakura needed to go away, quickly. "I think I'll leave now." And she headed for the door.

Then a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Sakura…"

Sakura widened her eyes in surprise, couldn't believe that Toushiro had just called her by her first name. Toushiro spun her around and kissed her. He had his eyes shut as he took Sakura's chin in his hand. Sakura was shocked beyond words. Her feelings were indescribable. Shock, happiness and shyness all mixed in her. She began to close her eyes, returning the kiss and wrapped her arms around Toushiro's neck. He moved a hand to hold the back of her head. The kiss deepened. He kissed her further and by now Sakura's face was completely red.

The kiss was passionate. It lasted for so long before both of them parted for air. Sakura's flushed face made Toushiro want more, and he kissed her again, this time shortly. Sakura pulled away. Her heart was thumping wildly against her ribcage. Toushiro was playing with her pink locks as he smirked.

"That felt better, right?" Sakura smiled. She wrapped her arms around Toushiro's neck again and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah," Sakura replied.

X

**Konoha Village, Shinobi World.**

Shuuhei, Renji, Momo and Yumichika arrived at the Konohagakure gate. They were given another mission in the Shinobi world to take down hollows, which were expected to come again. The Shinigamis looked around them. The ninjas who saw them acknowledged them with a nod. Izumo and Kotetsu greeted the Shinigamis at the gate.

"We have to separate. Hollows might come from different places," Renji said. And the command was obeyed instantly, as the four made their way to different directions. Momo was running down a silent street when a loud crashing sound was heard. She could see a hollow destroying the buildings few kilometers away. "There it is!" She continued to run until she bumped into someone, making her fall.

Momo quickly got up to look at the person. It was a ninja. Momo could tell by the Konoha hitai-ate he was wearing. He had a short black hair, pale skin and he was wearing a black belly shirt. Momo stared into his onyx eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"_A Shinigami."_

"No, I'm sorry," Sai said. And the two resumed their running. Momo arrived at the hollow scene and defeated it immediately, preventing from any further damage caused by the hollow.

X

Ino screamed. She never expected to get attacked near the beach. A person had drowned, and she just saved him and healed him with her healing powers. To have a wild, scary hollow kicking her into the water was the least she had expected to happen. Ino was bathed in the salty waters. She had a long cut down her right leg. The hollow's sharp claws were painful.

"Bloom for me." A Shinigami appeared and defeated the hollow in an instant with his wonderful Zanpakutou. Ino watched in awe as the hollow vanished, letting out a painful cry. She then watched the man at the shore. He had colorful feathers on his eyelashes and eyebrow and his hair was long, just above his shoulders. Ino could have mistaken him for a woman if not for Yumichika to voiced his manly voice when he stated the command phrase.

"You alright, woman?" Yumichika asked the soaked kunoichi. He observed her for a while. _"Darn. She's more beautiful than me."_

Ino nodded. However, she wasn't standing, nor she made any movements to do so. "Need a little help here, Shinigami," Ino requested. Yumichika frowned. "No way. I'm not going to let myself getting wet."

Ino dropped her jaw in disbelief. _"Arrogant bastard."_ She then got up slowly and came up shore. Yumichika noticed that she was limping and so observed her legs. He noticed a long cut down her right leg, and it was bleeding. With green chakra on her hand, Ino started to heal her injured leg. She gritted her teeth, trying to suppress the pain. Yumichika recognized the power immediately.

"You have the same healing powers as Haruno," he said. Ino didn't respond as she continued with the healing. _"Sakura, I hope you can teach this guy some manners!"_ She then got up to heal the person who had drowned earlier. The unconscious man was fine now, all he needed was treatment in the hospital. "Hey aren't you going to thank me for saving your life?" Ino rolled her eyes. "Thank. You," Ino said, but still not facing Yumichika. He growled as a vein popped out of his head.

"Do you have a bucket of water and a sponge?" he asked. Ino then turned around to face the Shinigami.

"No. Why do you need it? To polish your manners?"

"Hey, I was going to say that!"

"What the heck? Clearly it's you the one who needed it!" Ino shouted and a large, twitching vein popped out on her forehead.

"Oh yeah!"

"Yeah!"

By now, the two were angry at each other. Their threatening faces were close to each other as they tightened their fists.

"Ayasegawa, what are you doing?"

Ino recognized the voice immediately. "Chouji! Do you know this jerk?" When she turned to look at the newcomer, she was surprised to see another Shinigami with long crimson hair tied up in a spiky ponytail. Renji blinked at Ino. "Who's Chouji, huh? That's Abarai!" Yumichika told Ino. The annoyed Shinigami turned to Renji. "Let's go, Abarai. It's a waste of my precious time being with this woman." Ino gritted her teeth. "Why you…"

Renji could only nod. Then, the two Shinigamis disappeared in an instant. Ino watched them go.

"I could've sworn I heard Chouji."

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society.**

Sakura's eyes fluttered open, and she stared at the white ceiling. Trying to recall back what had happened, she blushed. Toushiro and her just shared their first kiss. And she wasn't rejected, and that made her happy. But then she just woke up from bed. Sadness hit her.

"It's was just a dream after all."

She got up slowly and expected to find the kitchen door in front of her where she will prepare breakfast. Instead, she saw unfamiliar things which should not be present in her apartment. Then she recognized the room. It was Toushiro's.

"What was a dream?"

Sakura almost jumped. She looked beside her to see Toushiro standing by the bed. Sakura's memory replayed back to the kissing scene. She blushed again. _"It wasn't a dream."_

"Nothing," Sakura said and smiled at Toushiro. "How long did I sleep?" she asked. Toushiro then moved to sit next to her. After they kissed, Sakura had fallen asleep on his shoulder. "For about fifteen minutes. It's nearing eight o'clock in the evening now, I have to go and do my paperwork," Toushiro told Sakura. She then leaned in and pressed her lips to his. He kissed back. The kiss was short, but hot.

Moaning, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Let me help you." "No, Sakura. You're too tired, I can tell. What made you so tired anyway?"

"Training… And arranging those books was bothersome," Sakura said and released her grip from Toushiro. He got up and headed for the door. "You should just take a rest, Sakura. I'm going before the paperwork piles up again. Matsumoto must be nowhere near the desk." Sakura nodded understandably. Sakura lied on the bed and closed her eyes. She heard the faint slam of the door, signaling his departure.

"_Toushiro-kun."_

**-End of Chapter 16-**

* * *

**A/N: So how was it? I hope you enjoyed every single one of it. I would like to thank everyone who reviewed. You're all great! And to the silent readers, thank you for still sticking with the story. :) Let us HitsuSaku fans spread the love. I wish I could respond to every one of you. But time really hates me. I'll do that if I got plenty of time. And reviews are appreciated. :)**


	17. The Truth

From Two Different Dimensions

Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.

Chapter 17: The Truth

* * *

**After about a century, hollows appeared once again in Konoha village. Haruno Sakura went to Soul Society along with seven other Konoha ninjas to undergo Shinigami training. Sakura was proven to be skillful and so graduated the academy earlier than her peers. She was offered a position in the 10****th**** division squad, led by Hitsugaya Toushiro and vice captain Matsumoto Rangiku. Not letting Sakura's medical abilities go to waste, the Shinigamis also placed her in the 4****th**** division squad. Now as a Shinigami, she must carry out her duty as one, going back and forth to the human world and Shinobi world to fight the hollows and transport their souls to Soul Society. But one thing that still bothered her, who is Hikari no Tsubasa, her own Zanpakutou?**

**Aizawa Ryo was a Shinigami who came to Konoha a hundred years ago. He disguised himself as a human so that he could interact with the ninjas. A woman by the name of Shouko discovered his identity and fate brought them together no longer after that. A child was then born. **

**Not long after Aizawa Ryo's appearance in the world of Shinobi, hollows made their debut as well, frightening thousands of ninjas and villagers. In the midst of the huge war, Aizawa Ryo was killed, leaving his daughter in the care of Shouko. Sixteen years later after the incident, hollows came for the second time and the child was involved in it.**

**How is this child related to Sakura's great great grandfather?**

**X**

"Damn it! It's you the one that I love, Hitsugaya-taichou!"

The room fell in silence. Toushiro froze as he stared wide-eye at the Shinigami in front of him. Sakura shot both her hands to her mouth, horrified at her sudden outburst. Toushiro looked into Sakura's eyes, studying them for a while to seek for certainties. Then he looked away.

"_Why isn't he saying anything?"_

Sakura hated this. She hated her big mouth. She should have thought carefully before speaking. When Toushiro didn't make any sign to answer, Sakura knew it. She just knew it. He didn't love her.

"F-forget it! Forget about what I just said, taichou…" Sakura laughed sheepishly, but her grin didn't stay long. Toushiro was still not looking at her. And it hurt her a lot. She needed to get out of there before he saw her tears that were threatening to fall.

"I… I'll be leaving now." And she headed for the door. But a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Sakura…"

He spun her around, caught her chin in his hand and kissed her.

X

On her way to Toushiro's office, she saw Yusuke standing in front of the door. He was just standing there not making any move to go inside.

_The Gotei 13 don't really doubt your powers. They believe that you're strong. But what's got them suspicious is your type of power. It resembles a lot with the power of a Shinigami who once lived here. The Captains and lieutenants believed that the powers were passed down to you, Haru-chan._

Sakura suddenly remembered her conversation with Yusuke a few days ago. She had been so desperate to know the matters discussed behind her back that Yusuke had to explain clearly to her just so she could calm down. And she had. Then Toushiro had barged in and interrupt their moment.

_Taichou… Is it true that Soul Society doubts my powers?_

_What are you talking about?_

_Don't bluff, taichou…_

Sakura shook her head, trying to clear her mind away from that embarrassing memory. She approached Yusuke.

"Not going in, Yusuke?" Sakura asked, which startled the man.

"Haru-chan… Ah, yeah… I was about to, but someone's having a discussion inside Hitsugaya-taichou's office."

Sakura didn't answer him instead she pushed open the door slowly, just big enough for her to step inside. The captain was sitting at his desk, and he could only nod at Sakura, acknowledging her presence before he looked back at the other Shinigami occupying the room.

"Is that all?" Toushiro asked.

"Yes, Hitsugaya-taichou," the other Shinigami replied.

"Alright, you are dismissed." With that, the man left the room. Shortly after that, Yusuke entered the office.

"Kazuma, you take over," Toushiro told him, pointing at the piles of paperwork on his desk. Sakura could have sworn she saw a brief look of dismay on Yusuke's face. She couldn't help but giggle.

"Ne, taichou… Why not ask Rangiku-san to do it?" Sakura asked. Toushiro looked at her.

"The guy that left just now… He was informing me that Captain Commander would like some of us to travel to the living world. You're coming too."

Sakura sighed inwardly. "_Another mission. Same old mission. Go to the human world. Spot a hollow and defeat it. If a short-term of peace comes, then mission done. Woopedoo."_ Not that she liked to complain. However, going back and forth to the Human and Shinobi world had become like a routine it bored her.

"We might go back and forth from the living world to the Shinobi world," Toushiro added.

And there she thought she had left Konoha for good.

"Who else are going?"

"Matsumoto, Abarai, Madarame and Ayasegawa. Let's go, Haruno."

Both Toushiro and Sakura exited the office, leaving Yusuke all by himself staring at the paperwork.

"Take it easy, Yusuke! See you when I come back!" Sakura called out. With a sigh, Yusuke began his work.

Sakura followed Toushiro closely behind. The man in front of her, the captain of the tenth division squad, had actually returned her feelings. She remembered how it all went, and was quite surprised by his reaction as well. Nonetheless, she was happy.

"Oi, Sakura. Quit daydreaming… Hurry up," Toushiro called out. He was now far ahead of her. Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and increased her pacing.

"Wait up, taichou!"

X

**Karakura Town, Living World.**

"So, got anything from the Shinobi world?" Kisuke asked the woman beside him. Yoruichi shook her head.

"Not much. It seems like they haven't gotten much information compared to what Gotei 13 had."

"Did you meet anyone?"

"I met Sakura-san's sensei. He claimed to not know anything. But there's something about that guy, he's quite mysterious. I'll get back to him later."

Kisuke nodded in understanding. "Now, where are those guys? The meeting is about to start." He sighed and went to sit at the circular table waiting for the rest.

Yoruichi thought back at her encounter with Kakashi. It had been quite an interesting moment. She had been in her cat form and Kakashi had actually sensed her presence whilst his eyes were fixated on a small book. Which she believed contained some porn. He had taken her to his apartment. But at that time he believed Yoruichi was a male cat.

Until she turned into her true form. His expression had been priceless. Yoruichi chuckled at the memory.

"_Bastard…" _He was mysterious and perverted…

Kakashi hadn't ogled at her naked body. Instead he had chosen to keep his eyes on that little book of his. Avoiding eye contact as Yoruichi told him various information.

Yoruichi came back to reality shortly afterwards. She stared at the stairs very hard.

"Oi, what's taking you guys so long! Hurry up and meet downstairs!"

X

The Shinigamis from Soul Society had just arrived at Kisuke's little shop. And now Sakura had settled in her room. She took out her Zanpakutou and observed the shiny blade carefully. Her soft eyes darkened at the sight of her own reflection.

_The Gotei 13 don't really doubt your powers. They believe that you're strong. But what's got them suspicious is your type of power. It resembles the power of a Shinigami who once lived here. The Captains and lieutenants believed that the powers were passed down to you, Haru-chan._

Those same words came back playing in her mind again.

"_Powers passed down to me, huh. It seems like there's something about my past that I don't know."_

Sakura replaced her sword. Upon hearing Yoruichi's call from downstairs, she immediately changed back to her human form. Sakura exited the small room and descended down the stairs. On her way, she saw Toushiro a few steps down.

"Taichou…" Sakura called out slowly. Toushiro stopped and turned around.

"Ah."

Sakura took a few steps down and stopped at his side. She badly wanted to call him by his first name. But they had been in a captain-subordinate relationship for too long that she couldn't come out saying his first name so comfortably. Well, except in her thoughts. And dreams…

She wondered how the silver-haired Shinigami managed to call her 'Sakura' so comfortably though. But she liked it. She preferred that more.

"Let's quickly head down. Before Urahara gets mad," Toushiro said and closed his eyes as he took a step down the stairs. But he missed it. And his butt landed on the floor near the end of the stairs. Sakura sweatdropped. She quickly kneeled by his side and touched his hand.

"Toushir- I mean, taichou! Are you okay?"

The silver-haired captain watched Sakura closely, before he slowly got up to his feet.

"I'm fine."

"Thank goodness. That was so unlike you, taichou."

Sakura giggled. Toushiro walked ahead before he stopped. He looked over his shoulder at Sakura.

"Sakura…"

"Yes?"

"You can call me by my first name. It's alright."

Toushiro smirked. That got Sakura off-guard. Her heart skipped a beat and she blushed.

"_T-Toushiro-kun…"_

And then the main entrance door of the shop burst open and came in the unusually cheerful Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Yo! Nice to see you, Toushiro!"

"It's Hitsugaya-taichou to you!"

X

"Is everyone here?" Urahara studied everyone at the circular table, making sure no one was absent before the meeting started. Even Ichigo, Chad, Uryuu and Orihime were asked to come. Rangiku eyed Ikkaku, who looked from her to Yumichika, who in turn nodded at Renji. He made a sign to Toushiro that everything was settled. Toushiro nodded at Kisuke, urging him to begin. Sakura observed all those silent gestures and had a feeling that they were going to discuss something important.

"I believe we have a whole lot of new information that you all should know," Kisuke started. Ichigo frowned, knowing what was coming.

"What is it, Urahara-san?"

"Well… As you all should know, it's concerning the large number of hollows coming to both the living world and…" he eyed Sakura intently. The pink-haired kunoichi gulped.

"…the Shinobi world."

Sakura frowned. _"Does he know anything about what was being discussed among the Gotei 13 captains and vice captains? Will he tell me everything?"_

Kisuke returned his attention to everyone else.

"Before… We never knew the existence of Shinobi world."

"_Neither did everyone in Konoha ever know of the existence of Soul Society…and this totally different human world," _Sakura thought.

"Someone discovered the Shinobi world a long time ago. And because the gate to that world was once opened, it somehow came resurface again one hundred years later."

Sakura, Ichigo, Uryuu, Chad and Orihime were shocked at the new information.

Sakura forced her trembling lips to open, "Who…is that person?"

"He was once a Shinigami from Soul Society. His name is…"

_Aizawa Ryo_

"Aizawa Ryo."

Sakura gasped. She was quite surprised at the mention of that name, but there was a voice inside of her that voiced it out earlier. She didn't know where it came from.

"Are you okay, Sakura?" Rangiku asked.

"I'm fine. Please continue, Urahara-san," Sakura managed to say. She was still trying to figure out whose voice she heard earlier. No one in the room seemed to have heard it.

Kisuke observed Sakura intently with his brows furrowed. _"Does mentioning Aizawa Ryo have an effect on her?"_

"Time is running short so I'll say this briefly," Kisuke said before he continued, "It seems that this problem about hollows is related to Aizawa Ryo. He was a Shinigami, an intelligent one who discovered the Shinobi world through complex research. That happened a century ago. He's already dead."

Once that was mentioned, Sakura started feeling dizzy but she forced herself to hear the rest.

"When he arrived at the Shinobi world, he began touring the place and met several ninjas and made some friends. Aizawa Ryo was a humble man, so the ninjas respected him. However, the ninjas didn't know that Aizawa was a Shinigami. No one knew… Except for one woman."

Sakura's condition worsened and her heart ached. She bit her lip to suppress a hurtful moan.

'_Father!'_

Sakura started hearing the same soft voice calling inside her head. She looked around through heavy eyelids, but found out that everyone hadn't heard anything unusual.

"_Father? What…why? My head…"_ The pain then slowly subsided, much to Sakura's relief.

"Aizawa fell in love with the woman. Her clan name was unknown but her given name was Shouko."

The similar pain shot through Sakura once more. This time it hurt a lot. The voice became louder but softer.

'_Mother…"_

"_Damn it! What was that?"_ Sakura yelled inwardly as she tried to bear the pain inside her. When the pain disappeared, Sakura was panting but she tried to make it oblivious to the people around her. However, Toushiro noticed her weird expression and so observed her closely for a while.

"A few weeks later, Shouko was pregnant."

Orihime gasped. She tried to blurt out, "Shouko-san with…Aizawa-san?"

"A Shinigami together with a ninja. Impossible you may say but it's true," Rangiku told Orihime. The rest nodded in agreement with the exception of Toushiro and Sakura, who were looking at other objects rather than at each other.

"_**Cliché…" **_This time, it was inner Sakura that was talking, not the unfamiliar voice.

"_Shut up."_

"When the child was born, Aizawa was already dead. Because… A few months before the child was born, hollows had started coming to the Shinobi World and attacked the village. Aizawa was involved in the intense fight." The room grew silent after that. The discussion had to end.

Sakura had fallen onto the floor, unconscious.

X

When Sakura finally woke up, she didn't feel anything painful. Her body had gone back to normal. Remembering about the earlier conversation, Sakura sat up quickly, feeling disappointed over the thought that she might have missed something in the discussion. To her surprise, she was not alone in the bedroom. She was sitting on the bed with Toushiro, Orihime and Yoruichi standing beside the bed.

"Sakura-san, you're finally awake!" Orihime smiled widely, so sweet that made Sakura forget about her earlier feelings so she smiled back at her. She glanced on her right side and saw Toushiro looking at her wit concern.

"I'm going to tell the others that you're fine," Orihime said and then she left the room.

"Did I miss anything? About the conversation we had earlier?" Sakura asked Yoruichi. The older woman sat beside Sakura on the bed.

"Just a bit. I told them that I met Kakashi and had a long talk with him." If Sakura was drinking right now, she might have spit out all the contents.

"Kakashi-sensei? Why did you want to talk to him?"

Toushiro shot Yoruichi a look which she caught immediately as a sign to stop.

"Well, he'd volunteered to report everything I was going to tell the Hokage. Nothing serious. Just a report about the current situation and all," Yoruichi lied. She got off the bed. She was about to leave the room when she just thought of something. She bent down to whisper near Sakura's ears, not allowing Toushiro to hear what she had to say.

"Kakashi is a very interesting man, Sakura." Yoruichi smirked. The young kunoichi raised an eyebrow as Yoruichi made her way to leave the room.

"_Kakashi-sensei and Yoruichi-san…There's no way."_

The room fell into deep silence. Sakura's eyes left the door where Yoruichi just made her exit. She then stared at her lap. She seemed to have forgotten that another person was in the room.

"_That doesn't make sense. She… or rather, they, are hiding something from me."_

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts when warm lips pressed to hers gently. It took her a while to realize that she still had a company in the room. Sakura returned the kiss and closed her eyes. There was a moment when she could feel his tongue. But the kiss ended so soon.

"Are you feeling sick again?"

"No… I heard a voice in my head and it caused the pain."

"Voice? What voice?"

"No idea. It was a soft voice and sounded very feminine. I think I've heard it somewhere before…And I have a feeling that I'm close to the person." Sakura sighed.

Toushiro wanted to question further, but his cell phone ringing interrupted him.

"Hello?"

Sakura slowly got out of the bed. She felt completely fine now as if the pain earlier hadn't ever occurred to her.

"Hollows spotted in Konoha? Alright, we'll be on our way there."

X

**Konohagakure, Shinobi World.**

Toushiro pulled back his Zanpakutou from the hollow he just pierced. He landed on the ground gracefully. Rangiku and Sakura came to his side moments later. They were all covered in sweat.

"I think that was the last one. Everything is okay now." Sakura sighed as she replaced her Zanpakutou at her pink sash. She looked around the place when she suddenly thought of something.

"Shall we head back, taichou?" Rangiku asked the Captain. Just then, another hollow was sighted not far away from their spot. Sakura glanced at the hollow before she quickly turned to her comrades. "I'll take care of that one. You guys can go back to Karakura Town."

Toushiro shot her a questioning look while Rangiku didn't seem to protest. "Alright. We'll see you later."

"I'm staying here. Just in case more hollows are coming," Toushiro said. Sakura eyed him nervously. _"There goes my plan."_

Rangiku grinned, knowing the actual reason why Toushiro wanted to stay behind with Sakura. The blonde winked at the two, "Alright then. See ya!"

A hell butterfly came out of nowhere and sliding doors opened for Rangiku. The woman then disappeared together with the doors. When Toushiro turned to face Sakura, she was already gone. He brought his palm to his face.

"Sakura…At least tell me before disappearing."

X

"Rasengan!"

The hollow suffered horribly from the impact, before it was killed. Naruto wiped a sweat from his forehead as he grinned at his victory. When he felt a presence behind him, he turned around. Blue eyes widened when met with green ones. Sakura's hair swayed along with the wind. She smiled sweetly.

"Hey, Naruto…"

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto beamed as he approached her and stopped at an arm's length. Sakura was happy to see him. She was supposed to defeat the hollow but seeing Naruto doing the task himself, reminded her of how much Naruto was always ahead of her.

Then she remembered Toushiro, whom she just left behind. She didn't do it on her own accord. Well, at least she thought she didn't. Then there was it again. Something inside her urged her to take another action.

"Naruto, do you know where Shikamaru is?"

"Oh, how should I know? He's probably on a mission or something," Naruto told her, feeling a bit disappointed that Sakura mentioned other person's name when he actually wanted to have a few nice moments with her.

"_Mission? I hope not. If that's the case then that means there's one other person I should find."_

"How long are you going to be here for today?" Naruto asked, his eyes filled with hope and seriousness. It reminded Sakura of how much Naruto was so into her a few years ago. Until now she could feel that Naruto still liked her. Sakura dropped her head, not daring to meet Naruto's hopeful eyes.

"Just for a while. We might see each other again later. See ya."

Sakura flashed him a reassuring smile before she disappeared. Naruto could only watch her go.

X

"Ino, do you know where Shikamaru is?" Sakura asked as she slumped onto a wooden chair next to the counter. She had changed back to her human form, not wanting Toushiro to spot her reiatsu at that moment.

"He's on a mission. What's wrong? I guess you want to talk with him about the interrogation with your mother," Ino said as she crouched down to arrange the flowers in the flower shop. It surprised her that Sakura just came to her out of the blue when she had been so focused on her work.

"_Exactly why I'm running away from Toushiro right now. Since Soul Society wouldn't let me know, I will rely on my friends here… What's that? Mission? Oh man…"_ Sakura closed her eyes in exasperation and she sighed. Ever since Yusuke had told her about Gotei thirteen's uncertain theory, Sakura was intrigued. She had a strong feeling that a huge part of the current problem had her involved. Knowing that Shikamaru might know a few things related to that, she wanted to see him. Badly.

"Why don't you just ask your mom?"

"She's out of village at this time of the month, visiting a very good friend."

"I see."

An unusual silence fell. Sakura watched every action Ino was doing. From arranging all the flowers to making lists that Sakura wouldn't give a damn to know about, Ino seemed to be very hardworking. Sakura couldn't deny that she was missing Ino's teasing.

"Anything new, Forehead?"

"Not much… Except I just got a boyfriend."

As if on cue, Ino spread out her arms in the air, causing all the flowers she was holding to scatter on the ground. Her jaw agape as she stared at Sakura in disbelief.

"_I guess I shouldn't have told her that,"_ Sakura regretted.

"Say what? Oh wait, you're kidding right? Who would wanna date a girl with a huge forehead like you?" Ino laughed.

"_**What was it again about missing Ino's jokes?" **_Inner Sakura butted in.

"_Shoo shoo. Go away."_

When Sakura didn't respond like she normally would, Ino's grin disappeared. "Relax, I was just joking!"

Ino was laughing again. This time, Sakura didn't quell a smile.

"I got to go. I can't stay here very long." Not wanting to resume the conversation, Sakura quickly moved out of the Yamanaka shop. But Ino appeared in front of her in an instant.

"Hey, you don't seem to be joking. So who's the guy?" Ino asked, her face was serious now. She was very curious, Sakura could tell.

"He's…" Sakura hesitated for a moment. Should she tell her about what was going on between her and the captain? Ino was her bestfriend after all so she wanted to tell her so badly. But just then, she sensed a familiar reiatsu nearby. Sakura widened her eyes and scanned quickly the area around her.

"…coming!" she added quite firmly before running off.

Ino watched in disbelief as Sakura just dashed off without another word. Also sensing a strong unfamiliar energy emanating from someone behind, Ino turned to look at a silver-haired male standing in the middle of the street, his expression annoyed.

X

Kakashi sensed a familiar presence not far away from him. An invisible smile crossed his features. He closed his favourite Icha Icha Tactics book and glanced out the glass door. The visitor at the other side of the balcony waved at him, her other hand resting on the railing to support her weight.

Kakashi opened the door and approached her. "I've been expecting you, Yoruichi-san."

Yoruichi grinned. Ignoring Yoruichi's attempt to jump over the railing, which he knew she would do it skillfully without any help, Kakashi wrapped an arm around her waist. Instead of protesting, she put her arms around the Jounin's neck. In just a second, Yoruichi was on the balcony. She made her way inside Kakashi's room, not waiting for him to invite her in first.

"So I guess you have something to tell me, Kakashi?"

The Jounin nodded. He said teasingly, "I hope you brought a notepad and a pencil with you."

"I need no such things." She chuckled. Kakashi made a small, untraceable smile.

"Well, you better listen carefully."

Kakashi took out a blue book and tossed it at Yoruichi, who caught it with ease. She read the title.

'Different Dimension'.

X

She thought that she was lucky because it only took her less than five minutes to find the other person she wanted to see. To ensure that she was alone, her eyes roamed her surroundings. She took in a deep breath and looked back at the small café in front of her. She could see him, sitting alone at a table by the wide glass window. Hyuuga Neji seemed to be oblivious of Sakura's presence.

"_Duh, what the hell am I doing? I seem like a stalker."_

Dismissing the thoughts, Sakura entered the café, taking her time to reach Neji's table. Now that she thought of it, this was the first time in a very long time she saw the Jounin. Sakura tried to wipe out the nervousness within her. She had to be strong in order to find more information on what was hidden from her.

Neji looked up from his cup to meet the kunoichi he had not been expecting. Sakura could see a hint of surprise in his expression.

"Sakura?"

"…Neji-san, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Neji raised an eyebrow. Somehow Sakura was glad that he didn't glance at his watch, which might mean that he had plans he'd rather attend to. Sakura waited for his response.

Feeling a bit awkward seeing her standing in front of him quietly, he glanced at the seat across from him.

"Have a seat."

Sakura knew he had said it half-heartedly but she did as told anyway.

"I'm quite surprised to see you're here, Sakura. I didn't know that you could come here regularly. You're keeping an eye on the hollows, correct?"

Sakura nodded in response. She was constructing the right words in her head to start the conversation.

"Neji-san, what do you know…about me?" Okay, that sounded stupid. Neji raised an eyebrow again, this time he was both confused and humored. What did he know about her? What a question. She was asking a question about herself to a person who barely knew her well. Sakura rolled her eyes when she saw Neji's lips twitched upwards into a mocking smile.

"No, no. I mean… What is it that you people are keeping from me which I deserve to know?"

Neji's smile faded. His face was serious again

"I knew you'd find out about this. However, not this soon."

"You guessed correct. They say something about my power being unusual."

"I don't know anything about that."

Sakura stared at him in disbelief. She took in a deep breath to content her emotions. She had had enough of secrets being kept from her.

"You met my mom."

"Seriously, Sakura… I don't know whatever's under the topic, 'Sakura's unusual power'. I've completed my mission, and that's it".

"What was the mission?"

"To find out who the author of the book was."

This time it was Sakura who raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"The book you 'borrowed' from the library. Naruto found it in your house and brought it to Hokage-sama." Neji emphasized the word 'borrowed' meaningfully. Once it clicked, Sakura let out an 'oh'. She remembered back the incident at the library. Things had gone chaotic that she didn't realize she had taken the book right out of the library. And after the incident where the hollow and the Shinigamis came for the first time, she had brought the book straight to her house and had never paid any more attention to it until now.

"I'd been curious about the writer too. So, who was it?"

"Your ancestor, Haruno Daisuke."

Sakura widened her eyes in shock. In her head, she began to recall back information she had gathered so far. She was left speechless for a while. Neji wasn't bothered by her reaction. He took a sip of his drink and waited for Sakura to come back to reality. Neji decided to tell more when Sakura didn't show any sign of wanting him to continue.

"We Jounins have discussed this over. The Hokage was with us too. With all the information we'd gathered, we believed that Haruno Daisuke was friends with a girl back then. The girl had a mixed blood of Shinigami and human."

Sakura kept on listening silently, but she was shocked beyond words as she tried to connect the story Kisuke had told earlier with the piece of information Neji had just said.

"_And that voice I heard earlier."_

Just when she was about to make a conclusion, a big one, she spotted someone out of the glass window at a far distance looking at her intently. Behind the person was someone taller, wearing a green jumpsuit. At the same time, she felt dizzy.

X

"I cannot believe it! You two are going out?"

"Lee, for the last time…It wasn't a date!"

"You two were talking and alone together in a café! How is that not a date?"

Lee continued to cry Anime tears as he made unnecessary accusations. Neji was extremely annoyed at his teammate. Ignoring the last question, he just shook his head. Toushiro and Sakura had been silent all the time, watching the two men bickering with blank expressions. If it wasn't for the intense glare Toushiro was sending her that said, 'I'll get you later and you will explain everything', Sakura would have joined Neji in convincing Lee that Neji and her had not been on a date.

The four of them were now just outside the café.

"How did you meet Lee-san, taichou?" Sakura tried to open a conversation with Toushiro. She didn't know what else to do. She could run, if she wouldn't mind Toushiro unleashing Hyourinmaru upon her.

"I didn't. I followed you here. That guy just happened to be here when I came."

Sakura was glad that he answered, but the intensity in his stare didn't alter.

"Sakura-san, tell me that it isn't true!" Lee begged, still crying Anime tears. Sakura sighed and turned to him.

"No, Lee-san. Neji-san and I were just discussing about some…things. It's kinda important." Sakura could see from the corner of her eyes that Toushiro had looked away from her, but his expression had not changed. She knew that Toushiro was not mad at her for the same reason as Lee had, but because she had ran away earlier. In an instant, Lee grinned and heaved a relief sigh.

"Glad to hear that!"

Neji sighed in annoyance and Sakura laughed sheepishly. Little did the kunoichi know that Lee was still very much interested in her. Hence the reaction he'd made at the thought of Neji and Sakura going out.

Toushiro glanced questioningly at Lee, wondering about the ninja's weird behavior. He realized the way Lee acted at the first sight of Neji and Sakura being together in the café. This made Toushiro wonder more…

Then, a person wearing a mask appeared behind them. Neji, Lee, Sakura and Toushiro turned to see the newcomer in surprise. It was an ANBU. Neji waited, anticipating some news from the ANBU. The ANBU spoke in a slow yet firm voice, "Sakura-san, Hokage-sama wants to see you."

Neji had thought that the ANBU was calling for him. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Sakura.

"Got it," Sakura said.

The ANBU then disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sakura turned to look at her friends. "I guess I'll see you guys later."

"Sakura, be sure to be at the gates after you're done. We're heading back to Karakura town," Toushiro told her. Sakura nodded. "Got it."

Sakura disappeared in a puff of smoke.

X

Sakura opened the door slowly. As expected, there was no one at home. She rushed upstairs to her bedroom. Although she was the one to have decided to go away from home a few months ago prior to Shinigami training, it felt good to be back again. She inhaled deeply the aroma of her bedroom. It was still the same as ever. Nothing had changed. Except for one thing. Her room was tidier than the last time she remembered how she had left it.

Not that she hadn't clean her room before. Some things in her room were modified and rearranged. For instance, the books that she had left on her desk had been arranged neatly on the bookshelf and her bed mattress was new. Maybe mom did all this, Sakura mentally noted.

The Team 7 photo had been faced down onto the table before but now it was standing again. She smiled at the picture. Good old times…

Then, she noticed a small paper on her bed. She knew it wasn't the note that she had left there because she could already see the long writing on the paper. Curious, she moved closer to her bed and grabbed the paper.

_Sakura,_

_I heard that you've become a Shinigami. That was fast. I'm proud of you. I thought it would take years of training to achieve that level. I bet you've done a great job in Soul Society. Also, I heard that you came here to Konoha occasionally. So I wrote this note just in case you're here. I'm sorry for not being here all the time. I should have been at home with you before you left. There is an important thing that I should have shared with you. It's concerning about your great great grandfather. But explaining it in person would be much easier. So I'll tell you that when we meet. Or maybe you might have known about that already. See you._

_Love,_

_Mom._

Sakura sighed and folded the paper neatly, setting it onto the small table next to the bed. Sakura collapsed onto her bed, lying on her stomach. She was suddenly feeling exhausted and a small headache came to further her pain. She closed her eyes for a while and thought back about what she did before coming here.

She had met Tsunade in the hokage's office. Sakura had thought there was a serious matter to be discussed but it turned out that Tsunade had just wanted to see her former subordinate and so the two had ended up talking about personal matters. Sakura had told the Godaime everything including the intense training she had in Soul Society, leaving out the story about her love life. For some odd reason, Tsunade hadn't asked or spoken anything about the current situation, which mostly centered on her.

Sakura already knew everything. She could connect all those stories. Yusuke's information, Kisuke's story and Neji's explanation.

Just when she was about to make a conclusion, the dizziness had come back. And Sakura had excused herself to leave as she had thought about Toushiro waiting for her at the gates. Yet, once she had stepped out of the Hokage mansion, she had changed her mind. She had decided to pay her home a visit.

She sighed. Just when she was about to get up, the headache became unbearable. She moaned hurtfully. Then, the pain eased a bit a few minutes later.

"What the hell is this sickness?"

The headache seemed to be resurfacing everytime she thought about anything concerning Aizawa Ryo.

Sakura turned to lie on her back, facing the ceiling. She thought of getting some medicines. Slowly she got up and just when her feet was about to touch the floor, she was pinned down to the bed rather forcefully. Sakura gasped. She widened her eyes in surprise at the sight of a pair of green eyes staring back at her. Those eyes were the same eyes she had seen outside the restaurant.

Toushiro was angry again. He had every reason to be. She had been so selfish.

Sakura didn't move, yet Touhiro tightened his grip on her shoulders more, but not so much to hurt her. He glared down at the kunoichi, who was already lost in his stare.

"Explain," Toushiro demanded.

"What? I don't get it."

"You ran away, remember?"

Sakura didn't really forget about that. However, her current sickness would not allow her to speak correctly. Sakura sighed.

"I'm sorry. I was searching for more information about…you know…what's going on right now. What was being spoken of me in Seireitei…about my powers."

"I thought that problem is over!"

"I just felt that I'm missing something. I need to know everything."

"You can't know everything when we Shinigami hadn't figured out the real answer."

"I…I already know everything. I think I do." In an instant, the same pain shot through her again. Sakura winced in pain. Toushiro loosened his grip and his cold expression eased, becaming worry.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" he asked. Sakura bit her lip to suppress a painful moan. "Are you hurt like earlier today?"

Sakura could only nod. She looked up to gaze into Toushiro's eyes. The Shinigami was taken aback at the sight of those painful and innocent eyes. Those beautiful emerald eyes were the ones that made him like this, to fall for the kunoichi. The kunoichi whom he met just a few months ago. He remembered that those eyes were his distractions yet at the same time were his happiness. Those emerald orbs reminded him of their first meeting. Their first destined meeting had been at the Konohagakure gate, at the time when he first came to the village to escort the selected shinobis to Soul Society.

Though he didn't know anything about her at that time, the first thing that he had noticed about her at the very first sight of her was the colour of her eyes. He had realized that the color could rival his. Those times when Sakura did some small work in his office, at one time he had realized that he came to admire those green eyes.

Toushiro moved his hands onto the bed, one on either side of Sakura's head. His face came closer to hers and their lips met. He kissed her tenderly and slowly, being careful on not hurting her. Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. Toushiro pulled away, looking at her in question.

"Are you still hurt?"

"You made me feel a bit better." Sakura smiled, which caught Toushiro off-guard. It was the warm smile that he was always so fond of.

Toushiro leaned down to kiss her again. This time it was a passionate kiss. He moved a hand underneath her shirt to touch her waist, rubbing it slowly. Sakura didn't release her grip on him, instead she begged for this to last longer. In fact, she wanted this to last forever if that was even possible. Toushiro ran his lips down to her neck. She could feel his hot breath on her skin, sending involuntary shivers down her spine.

"Hey, tell me. What is it with that guy?"

"Who are you talking about?"

"The guy with fuzzy brows…"

Sakura rolled her eyes. _"Lee-san."_

"What about him?" Sakura asked more. She was curious.

"He looked like he has a thing for you. From the way he acted earlier, I could tell."

"Lee-san had a crush on me when we were still Genins. That was a long time ago. I never thought that he still likes me."

Which reminded Sakura about someone else. She had promised Naruto that they might see each other again sometime today. Sakura closed her eyes in slight guilt. She would have to explain everything to Naruto later. "Lee-san and I were very close though. He used to take me out when he had a spare time, which sometimes clashed Naruto's. And they would fight over me. In the end, I declined both offer."

Sakura chuckled at the memory. Toushiro had not looked up and when he didn't say anything further, Sakura asked, "Toushiro-kun, are you…jealous?"

Toushiro unwillingly lifted his head from her neck to look at her. He smirked. "Are you kidding? Why would I?"

"_Not when I have you. You now belong to me."_

Sakura gazed into Toushiro's green eyes again, admiring them. At the same time, she was curious about what he was thinking right now but she remained quiet. She was too absorbed in his stare. Reaching a hand up to the back of his head, she slightly ruffled his snowy hair. She used her other free arm to support her as she reached up on one elbow, and kissed him. Toushiro circled his arms around her waist, bringing her up to sit with him without breaking the kiss.

The kiss ended when they broke apart for air. Toushiro stared at Sakura's flushed face. His smirk was replaced with his usual scowl as he remembered their earlier conversation.

"Sakura, what do you mean when you said you already know everything?" Toushiro questioned rather seriously now.

She felt something coming up from deep within her. She braced herself for another headache. But nothing came. Instead, the feeling kept on coming up and later, she felt herself being pulled into unconsciousness, though her eyes were open. Toushiro stared curiously at her sudden blank expression. He gripped her shoulders, thinking about calling her name.

For her, it happened too fast. She saw herself in a large space with no end to it. Everything was plain white and blindingly bright. She could only see one thing- a silhouette, very far away from her. Something about its colour gave away its presence despite the extremely bright light. Sakura could hear it call out to her in a soft yet loud voice.

"It is time, Haruno Sakura. Return to your Shinigami form."

In an instant, she found herself back in her bedroom. The bright light had vanished and she could hear Toushiro's voice.

"Sakura?"

"I'm fine. Give me a moment." Sakura got off the bed and reached into her pocket. She retrieved the Shinigami badge and in a few seconds, she was back in her Shinigami form. Toushiro watched in confusion at her sudden action.

"I heard that voice again," Sakura told him.

"The voice you heard from earlier?"

"Yes. And it asked me to change back into this form." Sakura took out her Zanpakutou and held it upright. "I recognized that voice. So it was Hikari no Tsubasa."

The next thing that happened surprised the young captain. Sakura's Zanpakutou glowed. It was a soft light at first but then it became brighter, slowly taking up a human form. Both Toushiro and Sakura watched in astonishment. The bright light disappeared and Sakura's hands were empty. The Zanpakutou had shown its true appearance before the two Shinigami.

It looked almost human but had an angel-like face. The pale skin, the crimson eyes, glowing body and the wings gave that characteristic. The white, sleeveless dress ran down her body into a cloud, so the lower part of the body was seen as a clear, white smoke. Hikari no Tsubasa turned around to meet Sakura, her short, pink hair swaying beautifully in the process.

Sakura remembered that this was how the Zanpakutou looked like the first time she met her. Sakura stared into her piercing, crimson eyes. They were serious as ever.

"Sakura… You know that we are one. I am a part of your soul. I know everything that's going on inside your head. You have figured out the biggest mystery of your life. I concluded that this is the perfect time to reveal everything." Hikari no Tsubasa glanced slowly at Toushiro, who looked awe-struck from his current position. Toushiro's eyes were wide in surprise, his mouth slightly agape.

"Im…possible," he muttered.

"I know. This is a very rare occurrence. A Zanpakutou can only show its real appearance in the eyes of the Shinigami who bears it. However…" She turned to look back at Sakura. "This is a once in a life time event. This would be the first and the last of me doing this. It was set that I am to do this. I am about to reveal the truth."

Sakura was still speechless. A sweat running down her face. This was it. She knew she would obtain the answers to all questions that had been bothering her for the last few days.

"Tell me, Sakura. What do you know so far?"

"I know everything."

Hikari no Tsubasa nodded, urging Sakura to continue. Her eyes were still serious, but that had never ruined her angelic face. Sakura took a deep breath before exhaling slowly. A sweat trickled down her neck.

"You are the child… The daughter of Aizawa Ryo and Shouko."

**-End of Chapter 17-**

* * *

**Next Chapter: Hikari no Tsubasa's Past.**

**A/N: ...Yes, I'm alive.**

***wind blows.**

**I know I've probably apologized for like 123456 times already but I'll say it again. I'm sorry for the painfully long hiatus. And I think I've lost some of the readers already because it's been a while. But I'm not bothered by it. I've planned a perfect plot for this story even before it was published so I didn't want to leave it hanging just like that. No matter how long it takes for me to update, I'll always continue the story. ;) I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Oh, and make sure to re-read chapter 1. It's been edited and REVISED. After this, I might go through the rest of the chapters to correct some errors and add in a few information to the story.**


	18. Hikari no Tsubasa's Past

From Two Different Dimensions

Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.

Chapter 18: Hikari no Tsubasa's Past.

* * *

"Tell me, Sakura. What do you know so far?"

"I know everything."

Hikari no Tsubasa nodded, urging Sakura to continue. Her eyes were still serious, but that had never ruined her angelic face. Sakura took a deep breath before exhaling slowly. A sweat trickled down her neck.

"You are the child… The daughter of Aizawa Ryo and Shouko."

X

**Konohagakure, Shinobi World.**

**More than a century ago. **

The day was getting darker and she was still keen on doing her work. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand as she turned around and grabbed another kunai with her other free hand. She started sharpening the tool, making it the tenth kunai she honed that day. She smiled when she started to hear the sweet voice of her only daughter.

"This is my dad. I'd never seen him. My mom said he was a very nice man."

Shouko put down her kunai and looked out of the window. She could imagine that her daughter was holding a picture frame as she talked. Another voice widened her smile.

"I bet he was. He must have been special to your mom."

Shouko smiled. "_Very special. A very humble man from…"_

A familiar chakra entered the house. Her smile faded as she met the eyes of an acquaintance.

"Shouko-dono, you have a mission."

The woman stared at the messenger for a while before she nodded. She arranged her tools and packed a few of them to be brought to the unknown newly-assigned mission.

"…_Soul Society." _She ended her earlier thoughts.

Once she stepped outside the house, the ground began to shake. It was so strong, and the elite shinobi fell on her knees. She then hear the cry of her beloved daughter calling for her.

"Mom!"

Shouko saw her brown-haired daughter on the ground, with her friend supporting her, horrified at something ahead of them. Whatever had made her daughter like that, Shouko would destroy it. Her eyes reverted from her daughter to the thing ahead, which had caused the tremor.

Her eyes of fury turned into nervousness. Shouko was shocked beyond words.

"H…Ho…"

She couldn't get the words out. The monster which had taken her lover away from her had returned.

"Hollow!"

Shouko looked at her daughter immediately with fear in her eyes.

"Hikari, get out of here! Daisuke, take her to safety!" Shouko shouted. Both said people looked at her questioningly. However, the boy at the daughter's side did not take his time. He was always determined in protecting his precious best friend. Putting an arm around her waist, Daisuke took off and searched for a safer place.

"Haruno, put me down!" the sixteen-year-old kunoichi demanded.

Daisuke ignored her, feeling a bit upset that his friend had not called him by his first name. This always happened when Hikari got angry.

Shouko saw it in Hikari's eyes as they widened with curiosity and shock as she disappeared with her friend. Shouko turned to face the furious monster a few miles away from her. She went into her fighting stance as she prepared to kill the hollow, which viciously destroyed its surrounding. A loud cry came from the monster, followed by more appearances of angry hollows in different directions.

The village was then filled with panic cries.

Shouko watched the monsters with her eyes full of hatred. Bitter and painful memories from the first intense attack sixteen years ago replayed in her mind.

"I won't let you take away my loved ones anymore."

Shouko lunged forward.

X

"She's fine. You can see her now."

Hikari sighed in relief. She hurriedly headed towards the ward where Shouko was resting. Daisuke quickened his pace to catch up to the kunoichi, who hadn't talked to him ever since the hollows started coming that morning. Hikari opened the door to see her mother sitting up on the bed.

"Hikari."

"Mom… Are you okay?"

The young kunoichi sat beside Shouko on the bed. Daisuke closed the door behind him and leaned against the wall, not wanting to interrupt the family moment.

"Yeah, nothing serious. Just a few scratches that can be healed quickly by any medic ninja. But since they saw me unconscious, they brought me here."

"Why were you unconscious?"

"I was knocked out. Fortunately before that happened, I was able to kill the hollow."

Hikari took her mother's hand in hers, heaving a relief sigh knowing that Shouko was fine.

"I'm glad you're okay."

"Do you think they will come again?" Daisuke abruptly joined in the conversation. The females in the room shot their head to him, as if just realizing that there was another occupant in the room besides themselves. Shouko seemed to be thoughtful for a while as she studied his face for a few moments. Then her gaze fell onto her lap.

"I have something to tell you two," Shouko finally spoke. Hikari and Daisuke looked at her, anticipating.

"Hikari, sixteen years ago, a few months before you were born… Your father was killed by a hollow. Well to be exact, it was a Menos."

Aizawa Ryo was killed by a Menos Grande. Not long after he stepped onto the grounds of the Shinobi World, hollows have started coming one by one. And soon, they were followed by a bunch of Menos Grande. He was trying to kill all of them and before the reinforcements from Soul Society could come and aid him, Aizawa Ryo had fallen to the ground, lifeless.

The discovery of the Shinobi world was a great event not without some risks. With the gate to the Shinobi world being opened, hollows in Hueco Mondo were able to feel its existence and therefore carelessly jumped to the other dimension. They sensed high spiritual power coming from Aizawa Ryo, and so preyed upon him in the Shinobi world. He had wanted to protect the villagers. He had protected Shouko, who was completely defenseless at one point in the war. The weapon wielder had no bloodline limit, but she was a genius. Aizawa Ryo had loved the woman so much that he sacrificed himself to save her.

"Take care of Hikari. Raise her well, Shouko."

Those had been his last words before some Shinigamis from Soul Society had come and defeated those monsters within an hour before the village was announced safe again.

Hikari never knew until the story was told to her that night that she had mixed blood of human and Shinigami. She looked at her mom in disbelief.

"I thought dad was killed when he was out on a dangerous S-rank mission. Now you're telling me he's not even a human?"

"Hikari… I've been wanting to tell you this but I just couldn't bring it up. Now, I think you're old enough to understand and believe these things. Especially after what happened today."

Hikari collapsed onto her knees at the mention of that. She brought a hand to her head, messing her brown locks in the process.

"Hikari-chan, are you okay?" Daisuke asked and came closer to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder in reassurance. He could feel her tremble underneath his palm. Consequently, he gave a gentle squeeze. Shouko weren't able to look at the state her daughter was in.

Closing her eyes, she said, "Don't let your guard down, both of you. I have a feeling that those monsters will come back."

X

And they did on the next day. This time, Hikari witnessed people wearing black kimono and hakama going around killing those hollows. Well, they weren't exactly people. Shouko had made it clear that they were Shinigamis. A few of them wore a white haori over their black clothing. One of them was called Ukitake Jushiro. He met Shouko and Hikari.

"So, this is Aizawa's daughter."

Shouko nodded, staring at her daughter's back as Ukitake observed the young kunoichi. The older man looked from her to Shouko.

"So, what can she do, Shouko-san?"

Hikari raised an eyebrow. She turned around to face her mother. Shouko had expected that question to come.

"I raised her to be a strong, independent kunoichi. She has proven to be quite skillful in weaponry."

It was true. Shouko had been Hikari's personal sensei ever since her childhood years. The viridian-haired woman was one of the top weapon specialists in Konoha and it was to be expected that she would pass down the skills to her one and only daughter.

"No unusual powers?" Ukitake questioned further. Shouko frowned before slowly shaking her head. Hikari rolled her eyes, thinking that she should've answered that question herself. After all, they were talking about her. She knew what they meant. Since she had mixed blood of human and Shinigami, there must be something extraordinary within her. She hadn't discovered anything unusual about herself, but now she had to admit that she did occasionally feel something different about herself. Like there was something building in the pit of her stomach or anywhere else inside her body waiting to come out.

X

"Hikari-chan, watch out!"

She recognized that voice. The brown-haired kunoichi wondered why her best friend was shouting. She had beaten a vicious hollow, with the help of a Shinigami of course since he had insisted that he should slay the hollow to cleanse its soul. Whatever that meant.

Then she sensed a great, evil presence coming closely from behind her. But it wasn't Daisuke. It couldn't be…

There was a sound of blood splattering. Hikari widened her eyes in horror as she slowly turned her trembling body around to face the harsh reality. Daisuke had jumped in the hollow's way to block its attack. Hikari badly wished that he had dodged it instead of blocked it. The hollow's sharp claws had pierced through Daisuke's body. Worse, it was his chest area.

Time seemed to have stopped for Hikari. A single drop of tear trickled down her cheek. And then a Shinigami appeared and destroyed the hollow in an instant, which in turn became tiny bits of particles. Daisuke was dropped to the ground, a large amount of blood oozing out of his body. Hikari ran towards him, collapsing on her knees beside him.

"Daisuke… You moron. Why did you do that?" Hikari couldn't stop her tears that were falling uncontrollably. Daisuke coughed up blood. It took a lot of effort to gaze up at Hikari. His hand reached up to touch her cheek. It was so weak that it could drop within seconds and Hikari had to support it with her hand, bringing both of their hands closer to her cheek.

"I'm glad…glad that you're safe."

"Idiot, please don't die. I'll take you to the hospital right now."

"I don't think…I have much time." He winced in pain before continuing, "We have been fighting to protect this village for days. This war…I had a feeling from the start that I'm going to die when it ends."

"Haruno, stop this nonsense!"

Hikari was sobbing now. She looked him in the eyes. "Please don't leave me."

Daisuke smiled weakly. "Don't be angry, Hikari-chan. You're more beautiful when you smile."

Hikari needed to find a way to save her friend. Right now, she was experiencing the greatest shock ever. And a whole new feeling. The feel of Daisuke's life slowly fading away, she felt so full of regret and sadness. Only now did she realize that she had been in love with her childhood friend.

The kunoichi released his hand slowly and closed her eyes. She concentrated on the feeling that resided deep within her. She thought now was the time to use them. She had a strong feeling that it was a great power. And she would use it to save Daisuke, even if it meant that she would have to die afterwards. Still closing her eyes, she placed both of her palms over Daisuke's chest and began pumping out her chakra. Daisuke shot his eyes open. It was no chakra. The white glow surrounding her hands looked abnormal.

"Hikari-chan, stop! What is this?"

"I don't even know myself. But whatever it is, I have a strong feeling that it's gonna save your life."

A few moments of closing her eyes, she then found herself standing alone in an empty space. Everything was plain white. She looked ahead and saw a Shinigami looking back at her.

"Hikari, are you sure about what you're doing right now?"

"Yes, I want to save his life."

"Then, do you know what's that you're giving him?"

"…I'm not sure."

The Shinigami sighed. He seemed to be in a deep thought because he was closing his eyes for a very long time. Then he opened them and finally spoke.

"If that's what you really want, then I can't stop you. I'll tell you what power is."

Hikari looked straight at the Shinigami with determined eyes. "Tell me what it is, dad."

She knew the Shinigami was Aizawa Ryo. She knew it from the time she was summoned to this place. Somehow, she could feel their connection through the power within her body.

"Hikari, I've given you some of my powers. Actually, you inherited them. But I've given you more, just in case I died. And I did. I was hoping that you'd be able to undo my discovery…"

"What are you talking about? What's there to be undone?"

"And now you're giving those powers to your friend."

"Dad…"

"We don't have much time. Complete the transfer now."

In an instant, Hikari found herself back in reality where she was still pouring life into Daisuke. The male ninja looked up at Hikari in disbelief.

"I saw your father through your eyes… I can't believe it," Daisuke murmured weakly.

Hikari didn't answer. A few minutes later, the procedure was done and her hands stopped glowing. The bleeding stopped and Daisuke's chest had closed up. He felt as if nothing bad earlier had happened to him. And then he noticed Hikari lying down beside him on the rocky ground. He sat up and observed the kunoichi's form. He touched her cheek and examined her face.

She wasn't breathing.

Shortly after that, he heard Aizawa Ryo's voice hovering above the both of them, before it completely faded away, bringing his daughter's soul with it.

X

**Konohagakura, Shinobi World.**

**Present Time.**

Sakura's bedroom had been silent for a while now. Every one of its occupant were so deep in thought after hearing the shocking story unveiled by Hikari no Tsubasa. Toushiro looked up to observe the Zanpakutou again. He sure hadn't expected that it had been like that over a century ago. Neither did Sakura. She was still left speechless at the truth.

Toushiro was the one to speak up first after a few moments of silence. "So in conclusion, Sakura inherited the powers from Haruno Daisuke, who had been containing Aizawa Ryo's powers throughout his life."

Hikari no Tsubasa nodded at the captain. She then turned towards her wielder. She caressed Sakura's cheek which caused Sakura to look up at her.

"I'll now return back to my sword form. I'll be seeing you from time to time, Sakura."

With that, Hikari no Tsubasa turned into a large sword, wide and silver for the blade and black-coloured handle with a series of cherry blossom petals tied to its hilt. The Zanpakutou ended up in Sakura's grip. Sakura turned to Toushiro.

"Toushiro-kun."

The captain stood up and walked towards her, extending an arm to hold the back of her head and brought it to his shoulder. Sakura rested her forehead on his shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment. There was just too much her head could take at the moment.

X

Naruto was staring out at the sky from the balcony of his home when he sensed a familiar chakra nearby followed by a recognizable reiatsu. He looked down to find Sakura and Toushiro.

"Hey, Naruto!" Sakura waved up at him, grinning.

"Ah, Sakura-chan! Toushiro!" Naruto waved back. "Get up here, guys."

Sakura turned to look at Toushiro for a moment.

"You wanted to see him right? I'll wait for you at the Konohagakure gate. Don't be too long," Toushiro told her. Sakura nodded and not longer after that, the silver-haired captain disappeared. Sakura arrived beside Naruto within a few seconds.

"Eh? Where is Toushiro going?"

"We have to return to Soul Society after this. He's just on standby and needs to open the senkaimon first."

"Pfft, he didn't have to be hasty, did he?" Naruto pouted. Sakura smiled at him. The reason why she wanted to see her teammate now was because she had promised earlier that she would meet him again. And she felt like she needed to reveal to Naruto about her relationship with Toushiro. She didn't want to keep any secret from him.

"Hey, Sakura-chan… Let's go out the next time you come here. I think we should really catch up with each other, don't you think?" Naruto put his arms behind his head and grinned widely. Sakura's smile faded. On second thought, maybe it wasn't the time for Naruto…or anyone else to know about her and Toushiro. Not now.

Sakura smiled again. Unbeknownst to the blonde, it was a sad smile. "Yeah, we should really hang out."

"Just the two of us? It's a date then! Yosh!"

Sakura then returned to her normal self. Her eyebrows twitched. "If you have time to date, why don't you go training?"

"Aww, Sakura-chan…" Naruto pouted. "I've been training my ass off. I could use a break too sometimes."

Sakura giggled. She turned her back to him. "See you, Naruto."

And then she disappeared. Naruto's hand made a slight wave.

"Yeah, see you, Sakura-chan."

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society.**

The meeting between Captains and Lieutenants of Gotei 13 would start in an hour. Captain Yamamoto had commenced it just after Toushiro and Sakura reported to him about their recent knowledge about Aizawa Ryo and Sakura's past. Now, they were just waiting for Renji and Matsumoto to head back from Karakura town while Ikkaku and Yumichika were to stay in the human world for a bit longer.

In the meantime, Toushiro was busy doing the final touches of his paperwork. Yusuke had done a good job. All papers were organized and now Toushiro only needed to sign the papers. While he was doing that, he began to think back about Hikari no Tsubasa's story.

Toushiro didn't want to go there now so he put a hand to his forehead and concentrated on his work. But still, the story about Aizawa Ryo and Shouko lingered in his mind that he had to think further about it. Sakura then came through the door, startling the captain who was very deep in thought.

"Toushiro-kun, I believe the meeting is about to start. Renji-san and Rangiku-san have just arrived."

"O-okay… I'll be there."

Sakura turned her back to him, slowly walking away from the office. Toushiro was left to stare at her retreating back, couldn't help the bad feeling that he was having at the moment.

X

**Konohagakure, Shinobi World.**

**A century ago.**

Years had passed ever since the occurrence of the second hollow invasion. Haruno Daisuke looked at the wall clock in his bedroom and realized that it was time to go. He put on his jacket and walked out of the room, before stopping near the entrance of the kitchen.

"Dear, I'm going out now. I'm gonna see Shouko-san."

The woman turned around to face her husband. "Oh, anata… Wait. Here, could you give this to granny Shouko? I made banana cake. Hope she likes it."

Daisuke was handed a square container. He looked up at his wife and smiled. "That's sweet of you."

"Don't mention it. She's like a mother to me. I know granny Shouko is an important person to you. So that makes her an important person to me too."

Daisuke grinned. "Shouko-san is a very kind woman. She had been taking care of me during my childhood years whenever my parents were not around."

"And because she liked watching you and her daughter enjoy some quality time together. I get it, you've told me this many times."

Daisuke stared into his wife's eyes. They were lovely and honest.

"I love you."

"Love you too. Now go."

X

Daisuke knocked on the door of Hikari's old home. He hoped that Shouko was home at that time. Moments later, the retired weapon specialist opened the door.

"Oh, Daisuke-kun. I didn't expect to see you today."

"Good afternoon, Shouko-san. Here… My wife gave you this. Hope you like it," Daisuke said and handed the square container to her.

"That's kind of her. Thank you… Oh, come in."

Daisuke stepped inside, and the living room came to view. He remembered that he used to talk and play around with Hikari in this area. The room had been lively due to their presence. Now, years had passed. The walls had small cracks on them and the whole house itself seemed dull. Daisuke put a hand on his chest.

_Hikari-chan, can you feel it? You're home._

After the news of Hikari's death had struck Shouko, the woman somehow had expected it but she had not taken the news well. She hadn't shown herself to public for a week, rejecting the missions given to her everytime. When she had gotten better, she was able to rise up again and resume her daily routine as a shinobi.

"Daisuke-kun, here's your book."

Shouko handed a thin, dark blue book to him and he took it. Shouko spoke, "Hm, Different Dimension. Not bad… I've read everything and I think you got everything right. Are you going to publish it?"

"Yeah, I'm going to."

"Well, make sure to write your name. I noticed you haven't stated your name at all."

Daisuke shook his head and a smiled. "I'll leave it just like that."

Shouko wanted to ask why but then it clicked. As the years had passed, more and more people were forgetting the incident. It wouldn't surprise her if Daisuke and she were the remaining persons to remember the incident since they had come in contact with Shinigamis before, and so the effect were different on them compared to those on rest of the villagers. Shouko wondered whether people would believe the story coming from the book after the whole ordeal was completely wiped out from the village's memory. They might just make fun of the Haruno clan.

"Besides, I think people would like some mystery."

Daisuke moved towards the nearest window. His grip tightened on his book as he gazed up at the cloudy sky. He closed his eyes, remembering his last moments with Hikari.

Shortly after Hikari had transferred her life to him, she was lying lifeless on the ground. And then he had heard Aizawa Ryo's voice.

_Hikari…Daisuke… Listen, the powers I gave to Hikari, they were supposed to be used today after all the hollows and Menos have been defeated. What I'd created, I need to abolish or just shut it down for good. It's for the sake of the Shinobi world and also the hollows so that they do not wander aimlessly in a strange dimension just to be killed and completely destroyed by non-Shinigamis._

_Daisuke, since Hikari has sealed that power within you, a non-Shinigami, the powers will stay inactive for a while. That way, no more hollows will come to track down the huge spiritual power. In the future, as you pass the power down your generations, they will slowly become conspicuous and hollows will start coming again. Only then, will Hikari be able to undo the pathway from Soul Society to the Shinobi World I'd created._

_And remember, she's not completely dead. That power contained her. She lives with you, Haruno Daisuke._

**-End of Chapter 18-

* * *

**

**Next Chapter: Apprehension.**

**A/N: Another chapter up. I will post a picture of my OCs soon for everyone to know how they all look like. It will include Aizawa Ryo, Shouko, Hikari, Daisuke and not to forget, Kazuma Yusuke. **

**Anyways, I want to take this opportunity to express my condolences to the people of Japan who suffered from the horrible earthquake and tsunami. My heart goes out to the Japanese. Let us all PRAY FOR JAPAN. **


	19. Apprehension

From Two Different Dimensions

Disclaimer: I've never said this before but…If I owned Naruto, I would turn it into half-shoujo and made Sasori come back to life and declare his love for Sakura. Just saying.  
Same goes to Bleach. I would make Ulquiorra return to Orihime. Quickly.  
Anyway, Naruto belonged to Masashi Kishimoto whereas Bleach is the sole property of Tite Kubo.  
(And no, neither one of the characters I mentioned just now will appear in this story)

Chapter 19: Apprehension

* * *

The meeting between the Captains and Lieutenants of Gotei 13 just finished. Ukitake, Toushiro, Rangiku, Shuuhei, Byakuya and Rukia proceeded to the training grounds of the Spiritual Arts Academy. News reached them that Sakura and the six Shinobis were having a match and so they decided to watch it. They wanted to see more of Sakura's power and how much she had improved over the weeks.

Upon their arrival, the fight was already big. Sakura's Zanpakutou was in its Shikai form, swinging to create a gush of wind that sent her opponents off of their feet. Their back came in contact with a brick wall. One of them had managed to get away from it and ran towards Sakura.

"Hadou number thirty-one: Shakkahou!"

The Jounin-ranked Shinobi fired a ball of red energy. Sakura evaded the attack, which destroyed the wall that had been behind her. She jumped onto another wall and ran along it but another person appeared in front of her.

"Hadou number fifty-eight: Tenran!"

Before Sakura could think, she was thrown a few metres back by the tornado-like blast created by her opponent. She fell to the ground with a loud thud and lost her grip on her Zanpakutou.

"What is this? Six against one? That's unfair," Shuuhei said. He watched and waited impatiently for Sakura to get up. She would be in trouble if the six people got to her before she could stand up.

"Well, I think it's fair enough. Haruno-san is at an advantage here because she has obtained Shinigami powers whereas the others haven't," Ukitake explained. Rukia nodded in agreement. She looked up at Shuuhei.

"Besides, it's only a practice," the raven-haired woman said.

Sakura got up on her feet just in time to make a spell before anyone attacked her. "Bakudou number thirty-nine: Enkosen!"

The shield she summoned protected her from getting hit by numerous attacks made by her opponents' spells. When the shield broke, Sakura shunpo'ed to where her Zanpakutou was and grabbed it. She swung her Zanpakutou very hard, creating a powerful wind that blew away all of her opponents.

The witnessing Shinigamis were standing at a far distance and so they weren't affected by the wind.

"It's true. That power is almost similar as Aizawa Ryo's indeed. There's no doubt that Haruno-san inherited it," Ukitake said as he watched in amazement at Sakura's performance on the battle field.

"Speaking of power, it looks like the other six have improved over the months of training in the academy. They're very good at kidou now as you can see," Toushiro said, unconsciously changing the subject about Aizawa Ryo. The silver-haired captain would like it if he wouldn't be reminded of the story about the late Shinigami and his lover.

He could relate so much to it.

Observing the kunoichi fighting in the battle field, he thought of how much he cared for her and how he would do the same thing like Aizawa did if something were to happen to Sakura. Closing his eyes, he tried to get rid of those thoughts. If something were to happen to Sakura? What worse could it be? The last time she was in trouble, he hadn't been himself. Though he hated admitting it.

"Yeah, it's a great improvement. Would be great if they can obtain Shinigami powers soon. These ninjas are to be Substitute shinigamis who will return to their world and carry out their duty to slay the hollows that will come to the Shinobi world anytime," Ukitake said.

"Is there a way to solve this problem? I mean, stop the hollows from coming to the other dimension?" Rangiku asked.

Ukitake was thoughtful for a while. He then shook his head. "Unless we can cancel what Aizawa Ryo had done, then no."

"I wonder…" Byakuya began. Everyone shot sideway glances at him, expecting him to say more. The sixth division Captain continued, "Since they're humans, they age. But when they die, where do their souls go? Here?"

Good point. Now everyone was wondering about the answer to that new, never before revealed question. As far as they knew, they hadn't encountered any souls in Soul Society who were previously living as a Shinobi.

"Let's put that aside for now. Another issue I'd like to ask…" Byakuya went on. "What if Haruno Sakura and the other six ninjas die, and we still couldn't find a way to undo what Aizawa Ryo had done. What then?" Byakuya kept his usual stoic face as he said it, but Toushiro gritted his teeth in silence at the mention of _his_ Sakura dying. Eventhough they were just assumptions.

"Well, we'll just have to call a few more Shinobis to be admitted to the Spiritual Arts Academy then," Ukitake answered. Then all of the Shinigamis' attention came back to the fight on the battle field. Sakura was seen breathing heavily. She had used up all of the four swings. And that had always been her limit.

"Haruno is at her limit. She can only swing her Zanpakutou for four times," Toushiro said, his calm voice almost bordering concern.

"What? So that means she hasn't perfected her skills as a Shinigami?" Shuuhei asked, creasing his brows.

"I believe she hasn't. That's why we let her stay here to let her complete her training so that she can unleash her full capabilities," Ukitake said before he coughed.

Hikari no Tsubasa returned to her normal form, canceling its Shikai mode. Sakura looked up to see her opponents standing a few metres away from her, waiting for her to stand up. She didn't do so instead she put her palms on the ground in exhaustion. Then, it was their cue. One of ninjas leapt forward, chanting another spell to make the finishing attack.

"Hadou number fifty-eight: Tenran!"

"SHANNARO!"

With the remaining chakra readily enhanced on her hand, she slammed her fist down to the ground, and in moments created a massive crack that sent her opponents down into it. But Sakura hadn't had the time to evade her opponent's last attack and so was caught in the tornado-like blast. Her body came crashing into the wall a few metres back. Part of the wall collapsed, barely touching her body.

"Sakura-san!" Shuuhei shunpo'ed beside Sakura. Toushiro, Rangiku and Rukia followed suit. Sakura opened one eye and grinned at Shuuhei. The latter put his arm around the kunoichi's shoulder to support her.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, but I'm beat. I need to head to the fourth division squad building for a checkup."

"Let me take you there," Shuuhei offered. Sakura thought for a while and looked at Toushiro, silently waiting for his response. It was very difficult to read his expression at the moment. He looked almost like he didn't care that Shuuhei had her in his arms. Sakura looked back at Shuuhei.

"Alright. Please, Shuuhei-san."

With that, Shuuhei placed his other arm under Sakura's legs and they took off.

"Hmph." Toushiro turned on his heels and went to leave the currently-wrecked field. The six ninjas had gotten up to their feet and were making their way back to the academy. Rukia watched them go.

"So, who won?"

"Well, I'm not sure myself," Rangiku said and giggled.

X

**Konohagakure, Shinobi World.**

Somewhere in the village, Kakashi was just passing by a famous restaurant when he suddenly stopped at the doorway. He raised an eyebrow, curiosity had gotten the better of him. He slowly stepped in and looked around, and surely everyone who had been enjoying their meal had to halt their activity and stare at one person sitting at the far end of the restaurant. The woman being stared at didn't mind the attention though. She was busy devouring a huge bowl of rice. Kakashi looked at her table. She had eaten at least ten bowls of different food. The copy ninja sighed as he approached her. He took a seat across from her.

"Yoruichi."

The said woman put down her bowl to look at her greeter. "Ah, Kakashi. Nice to meet you again."

She resumed her eating, still not minding her action being watched by other customers. But slowly everyone began to mind their own business not long after Kakashi's arrival.

"God, Yoruichi you're worse than Naruto. What are you doing here, by the way?"

Yoruichi put down her ridiculously large bowl and chugged down her milk. Within a few seconds, the bottle was empty. She grinned at Kakashi.

"Got news for you. A big one."

"Let me guess. The mystery about Sakura's powers is solved?"

"Yeap." Yoruichi folded her arms on the table, her expression became serious. "Not long ago, I came here and told you the resemblance of her power to Aizawa Ryo's. And then you told me about the old book and the identity of the author. I recently went to Soul Society and discussed the links with some Shinigamis. We've got everything solved already. All by Sakura herself."

There was a moment where Kakashi widened his one visible eye a bit, indicating he was quite surprised at the information. He immediately returned to his normal expression.

"Let's go to the Hokage first. I'll explain everything to you both at the same time," Yoruichi said and began to stand up.

"Yoruichi, don't forget to pay for these," Kakashi told her, pointing at the dozens of empty bowls on the table. Yoruichi looked back at the table for a while before she stared at Kakashi.

"Come to think of it, I got no local money with me at the moment."

Kakashi stared at her in horror. The woman gave him a meaningful grin before she skipped out of the restaurant. Kakashi sighed while slowly taking out his wallet, digging for his savings that he earned from long hard missions.

Once the payment was taken care of, Kakashi exited the restaurant and looked around for Yoruichi.

"Kakashi."

The copy ninja's gaze fell to the ground beside him. There was a black cat looking up at him. Yoruichi had transformed into her cat form.

Kakashi looked up, and put his hands in his pockets. "Let's go."

Yoruichi climbed onto Kakashi's shoulder in one swift movement, and off they go towards the Hokage's mansion.

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society.**

Warm hands gently touched her bruised arm, slowly extending it out to have it examined by concerned eyes. Sakura bit her lower lip as she observed Shuuhei carefully encircle her arm with bandages. The man had requested that he was to take care of Sakura's injury, insisting that everyone from the fourth squad building to leave Sakura under his care. Unohana had objected to it at first, but after examining Sakura's overall condition and concluded that the pink-haired ninja didn't need any further treatment, she let Shuuhei do as he wished. And now both Shuuhei and Sakura were alone in a patient's room.

Sakura wondered why Shuuhei behaved that way. After a long silence, she spoke up first. "Shuuhei-san, you don't have to do this. I can heal my arm."

"Keep quiet. You've used too much power during that training and you don't need to drain your chakra anymore. Let me finish this first."

Shuuhei managed to complete his job, gently tapping Sakura's bandaged arm and at the same time looking at it, feeling satisfied at his work. The bandages might look quite messy, but Shuuhei didn't tie it too tight or too loose. It was just perfect. Sakura knew Shuuhei didn't have the skills in that area but she was thankful for his sincere action.

"Thank you, Shuuhei-san," Sakura said, smiling up at Shuuhei. The man in turn smiled back.

"You're welcome. Now take a rest. Your reiatsu is weak at the moment. You'll go back to full health once you're fully rested."

Shuuhei looked her in the eyes as he said that, which made Sakura lower her head and blushed in embarrassment. His intense gaze showed deep concern.

_"This is wrong."_

Before Sakura could ask him to leave, she felt a large, warm hand resting at the back of her head. Shuuhei ruffled Sakura's pink locks lightly before urging her to lie down on the bed.

"Now. Rest." He winked before he shunpo'ed out of the room, leaving her to stare at the ceiling in confusion. Moments later she fell into deep sleep. That was when she found herself floating in the usual plain white space. She expected Hikari no Tsubasa to show up.

"Sakura."

The said girl turned around to meet Hikari no Tsubasa, who was standing so far away that she could only be seen as a silhouette.

"Hikari no Tsubasa… There's one thing that I've been meaning to ask."

"That Hisagi seems to be interested in you."

"Hikari…"

"What is it, Sakura?"

Sakura shook her head, dismissing Hikari's earlier statement about Shuuhei.

_"Pfft, that can't be, right?"_

"Hikari, you told me that Aizawa Ryo-san said that he needed to undo his discovery. By discovery, does he mean…"

"He discovered the Shinobi world. It should be undone."

"…How exactly? How on earth can we do that?"

By now, Hikari no Tsubasa was standing at an arm's length away from Sakura. The Zanpakutou closed her eyes.

"Even I don't know the answer to that."

Sakura widened her eyes in disbelief. "Then, how…?"

Hikari opened her eyes. "Only time will tell. For the time being, all you have to do is to complete your Shinigami powers. Unleash your full potential with me, your true Zanpakutou."

Sakura bit her lower lip and looked down. "So, I'm not really strong yet. I've gained Shinigami powers, but I have limits. I've a long way to go to be near the level of the other human Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo."

She looked up at Hikari no Tsubasa, staring straight into her crimson eyes. "So, the reason I've found my Shinigami powers early, is because of you. I inherited Aizawa Ryo-san' powers."

Hikari no Tsubasa extended an arm towards Sakura, slowly caressing her wielder's cheek with the back of her hand.

"That's true. But I doubt that you would have gone so far as to where you are now without all your hard work and effort."

Sakura smiled at her Zanpakutou. "I guess I made the right decision to stay in Soul Society a bit longer. After all, I still lack in a few things."

"Yeah. The whole point of you ninjas going here might be just to obtain Shinigami powers so you guys could cleanse the souls of the hollows that invade Konoha village. But your job in Soul Society is not over yet."

"True. And I don't think I'm ready to go home just yet."

Hikari no Tsubasa frowned. She let her hand drop back to her side.

"Sakura, I realized not long ago before you came to Soul Society, you've been feeling down. It's because I'm on the verge of appearing into your life that made you feel various kinds of emotions. At that time, you felt that you were left all alone. That's not entirely true if you think about it more."

Sakura shook her head, not wanting Hikari no Tsubasa to continue. Closing her eyes, Sakura hoped that she would wake up soon.

And she did. She found herself staring at the same ceiling she had seen earlier before she had dozed off.

"You awake?"

Startled, Sakura looked to her right and saw Toushiro standing next to her bed. He had his arms crossed over his chest. Sakura slowly sat up while rubbing her eyes.

"What time is it?"

"It's already morning. You slept for more than twelve hours."

Sakura yawned. "Good morning then," she said above whisper and pushed a few strands of her pink hair behind one ear. Slowly, she leaned forward until her lips touched his. Toushiro was a bit surprised at it, but he closed his eyes after that, enjoying the warmth of Sakura's lips on his.

_He discovered the Shinobi world. It should be undone._

Remembering back Hikari no Tsubasa's earlier words, Sakura opened her eyes. She slowly pulled back and Toushiro observed her change of expression.

"Toushiro-kun, do you remember what Hikari no Tsubasa told us? She said her father wanted to undo the pathway to Shinobi world that he discovered."

"More like 'created' instead of 'discovered'."

Sakura turned to Toushiro with her eyes widened. "What?"

"It's a possibility. The Captain's and Lieutenant's recent meeting talked about how Aizawa Ryo might have created the portal. He might've not been able to stabilize it before his death. Hence, hollows from Hueco Mondo were able to sense the presence of another world and jumped in creating more chaos."

Sakura's gaze landed on the white blanket that covered her lap. She clutched the sheets as she tried to say more. "It looks like our mission has changed. We need to close the portal for good now."

"Only then will Aizawa Ryo rest in peace, I suppose."

That would mean hollows wouldn't be able to come to the Shinobi world anymore. No more chaos and everyone would be able to get on with their normal routine. If the gate between the two worlds were to disappear, everything should be settled and then came the boundary that separates both worlds, again doing its role of keeping both from coming in contact with each other just like how it should be. Sakura took in a long, deep breath.

That would also mean that she would not be able see Toushiro again. Sakura was about to say something, but the captain beat her to it.

"We're a bit like Aizawa Ryo and Shouko, don't you think?"

She didn't expect to hear that one from him. Looking at Toushiro's face, she could tell what he was feeling at the moment. They didn't need to voice it out. Both knew that from the time they heard Hikari no Tsubasa's story, complications would strike them. Especially after they learned that Aizawa Ryo wanted to get rid of the pathway that connected the two dimensiosns.

"Y-yeah… Toushiro-kun, we'll be apart from each other in the near future…"

"I know."

The room fell in silence for a while, neither of its occupants knew of what to say next. Toushiro sighed before he opened his mouth to speak.

"Let's not think about that now. We haven't even found a way to close the portal for good yet."

Sakura would like to agree to that. But deep down she was still worried about going home soon and not be able to see the tenth division captain forever. It was a feeling that she found terrifying just recently. More terrifying than thousands of hollows invading the Shinobi world, Sakura guiltily thought.

"Toushiro-kun, I could…" Sakura began, but she held it back. Toushiro looked at her expectantly. Then again, since she had voiced out the first few words, she thought she might as well finish it. "I could...stay here... in Soul Society..."

Toushiro widened his eyes in bewilderment. His hands fell to his sides, and he was now fully facing Sakura.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"But, taicho-"

"You idiot! Think before you say. What's the reason for you coming here to Soul Society in the first place? Didn't you come here to help your village? To protect your beloved home from the _monsters_ that should have never come!"

Sakura looked away from Toushiro, not wanting to see the anger in his eyes.

"What happened to your resolve, Sakura? I thought you want to be stronger, so that when you come home, you'll be able to save your teammate."

Sakura clutched the bed sheet tighter as a tear trickled down her cheek. She didn't cry because the Captain had scolded her, but it was because realization hit her. Just because of love, she almost abandoned her real intentions of coming to Soul Society. She almost abandoned her village and most importantly, her friends and family in Konohagakure. She couldn't believe she was about to make all her efforts worthless. How ashamed she was at the moment.

Toushiro turned his back to Sakura, and made a move to exit the room.

"Besides…" He stopped at the door. "If you decided to want to stay here in Soul Society forever, you'll be given a death sentence by the Central 46. Humans do not belong here."

And then the door was opened and closed in an instant. Sakura was left sitting on the bed alone, trying to think straight. That was the last time she talked to Toushiro. A few days after that, they tried to keep their distance from each other. Each day passed without them seeing one another. Toushiro thought this was the best way to have his mind clear off of their complications. He knew he cared so much for the kunoichi just as much as he knew that they would be separated one day. And he had a bad feeling about it too.

Sakura, on the other hand, wanted to stay by his side forever. Just as much as she wanted to save her village from the chaos. The problem was, she had to pick only one of the options. She knew it was going to be a difficult decision for her once the time came. In the mean time, she could avoid seeing Toushiro every day. Maybe that way, she might be able to make her feelings for him disappear.

But falling out of love had never ever been that easy.

Then one day, the Shinigamis from the twelfth Division squad informed everyone that they had spotted a huge presence in the Shinobi world. It could have been lingering there for a while now, so some Shinigamis had to depart from Soul Society to carry out their usual mission.

X

**Konohagakure, Shinobi World.**

"Geez, where is Shikamaru? He's late."

"Don't worry, Ino. I'm sure he'll come in a minute," Chouji said as he took another meat from the grill. Team 10 had decided to meet up and have a meal together in Konoha's famous local barbeque. It had been Shikamaru's idea. But for him to be twenty-minutes late was a mystery to Ino.

"Oh, he'd better be. Or else, I'm gonna kick his sorry ass for not paying the bill for this like he promised. You don't think he's forgotten, do you?"

"That's impossible, Ino. The guy might be lazy sometimes, but he rarely forgets," Chouji said, trying to reassure his blonde teammate who was sitting across from him. To be honest, he was a bit curious too about Shikamaru's tardiness. It was unusual of him.

"Tch, relax guys. I'm here."

Startled, both Ino and Chouji looked up to see Shikamaru. But he was not alone. There were a few people behind him.

"Ha! Thank goodness you're finally here! Or else, who's going to pay for all these food. You know Chouji usually orders a lot," Ino said.

"Relax, Ino. I'm here. Everything's on me. My treat. Anyway, these guys…"

"Who're they?" Ino cut in. She pointed to the people who had been observing the team's behavior amusedly. There were two guys and a girl. One guy was bald while the other one had a jaw-length black hair. The girl had a black hair tied in a bun. It was only when she noticed the colourful feathers on the second guy's eyebrow and eyelashes that she recognized him immediately. Ino widened her eyes in dismay.

"It's you!" Ino exclaimed, pointing at the guy.

"That took you a while to recognize me. Hmph," Yumichika said and folded his arms over his chest. Ino frowned, obviously displeased at the sight of the person she had encountered before at the beach where she had been attacked by a hollow. And then he had come to her rescue. But he was rude.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, looking from Ino to Yumichika. "Well, didn't expect you two to know each other. Anyway… Ino, Chouji, I'm sorry I'm late. I ran into the Shinigamis here. I thought I should invite them here as well. There might be something to discuss about."

Chouji studied the Shinigamis for a while as all of them took a seat at their booth. "They're Shinigamis? I thought they should wear the black kimono and black hakama."

"We're using an artificial body. It enables us to interact with everyone and we can be seen by the average humans. Oh, I'm Hinamori Momo by the way," Momo explained. She looked expectantly at her two friends, waiting for them to introduce themselves.

"Madarame Ikkaku."

"I'm Ayasegawa Yumichika."

"Akimichi Chouji."

"…Yamanaka Ino."

"And I'm Nara Shikamaru." The said Chuunin watched as Ikkaku took his chopsticks and grabbed a meat off the grill. He took a bite and savored the taste for a while.

"Damn. This is delicious," Ikkaku said and looked at Yumichika beside him. "Try one. It's completely different from what we have in Soul Society."

Yumichika wiped his chopsticks clean before he gently took one meat off the grill and put it into his mouth. Touching his cheek, he sighed in delight. "Ahh, delicious indeed."

Ino rolled her eyes. She leaned in closer to Momo, who was sitting beside her, to whisper in her ear, "What kind of guy is he really? The last time I saw him, he was rude. And now he's acting all softy and that."

Momo giggled. She whispered back to the blonde, "He's not that bad. He's just obsessed with beauty. I'm not sure if I know how to explain it, especially here."

"Oi, what are you two doing? Hurry up and eat before everything finishes," Shikamaru told the two girls beside him. He then sipped his drink.

Chouji loaded the grill again with more raw meat. By the time they were cooked, Chouji and Ikkaku went for fierce competition for the meat. While the rest just ate in silence.

"So, only the three of you came here?" Shikamaru questioned, looking at Yumichika who was sitting across from him.

"Yeah, the three of us volunteered to take the mission."

"What mission?" Ino asked, but she was looking at Momo.

Momo answered, "It appears that something with a huge spiritual power is seen lingering around here. We're not really sure what it is. So we were asked to track it down."

"It could be an Arrancar," Ikkaku said.

"That's a possibility," told Yumichika. With all the Shinigamis sitting at the same table as her, Ino was reminded of another one back when she had been talking with Sakura in front of her shop. Ino wasn't sure if Sakura had been serious when she told her that she had a boyfriend. Ino hadn't seen that one coming. But when Sakura was about to tell her who he was, the pink-haired kunoichi had dashed off. Ino had wondered why her best friend had done that. But then she had sensed a presence behind her.

Ino had turned around to see a silver-haired Shinigami, his expression had looked somewhat annoyed.

"Who…are you?" Ino had asked him.

"Captain of the tenth division squad, Hitsugaya Toushiro. Where do you think Sakura's heading to?"

"I…I'm not sure. She looks like she's running away from you though."

Sighing, the Shinigami walked past Ino stoically. The blonde took the chance to ask, "Is there something wrong?"

Toushiro stopped in his tracks. Without looking at her, he said, "It seems that Haruno likes to do things on her own."

After that, he had disappeared. When Ino was finally out of her reverie, she found out that everyone had their plates empty. She asked, "Is the chibi captain not with you today?"

Momo shot Ino a surprising look. "You're talking about Hitsugaya-kun, right? How do you know him?"

"He and Sakura were here a week ago."

"I see. Well, right now both of them, and some other Shinigamis, are in the Human world. As usual, they are to look around and defeat the hollows that would come."

X

**Karakura Town, Human World.**

They were now standing on the grounds of Kisuke's secret training ground, located just beneath the Urahara shop. Ichigo, Uryuu, and Chad did some exercising and stretching before the friendly match was to begin. Toushiro, Rangiku, Renji, Rukia and Shuuhei watched from the sides. The battle was suggested by Kisuke, who was standing with Yoruichi not far away from the Shinigamis. The idea was to see how much the combatants had improved over the last few months. Especially Sakura.

Urahara Kisuke wanted to see more of the substitute Shinigami's power. He was always curious about it. He and Aizawa Ryo had communicated and worked together a hundred years ago. They had been good friends. Now that it was learned that Sakura inherited his powers, Kisuke wanted to witness for himself how similar they were. His eyes roamed around the huge training ground for the pink-haired kunoichi.

"She's not here yet. Where is she?"

Yoruichi turned to Ichigo and asked, "Yo, Ichigo. Have you seen Sakura?"

"No, I thought she came with those guys," said the orange-haired substitute Shinigami, pointing at Shinigamis at the far end of the room. "Yo, Toushiro. Where is she?"

Toushiro flinched. He wasn't expecting that question to be thrown at him. Before he could say anything, Sakura was seen coming into the room hastily. She didn't look pleased at something.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" Rukia asked.

"I…I forgot to bring my substitute Shinigami badge," Sakura said hesitantly. She laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "I think I'll just have to fight as a ninja."

Kisuke twitched. He lunged forward, pointing his cane towards Sakura, aiming for her head. Once she was hit, Sakura gasped loudly. Her shinigami form was ejected in an instant, leaving her original body lying breathlessly on the ground.

Sakura found herself wearing the Shinigami outfit. She rubbed the back of her head to ease the pain. The others watched in shock.

"Oi, what the hell!" Shuuhei half-shouted.

"Urahara-san, you never changed," Ichigo stated, reminiscing the times when Kisuke used to do the same thing to him. Sakura turned around to face Kisuke, giving him a glare.

"Hey, you should've given me a warning first!"

_**SHANNARO! **_Inner Sakura yelled. Toushiro stared hard, almost glared at Kisuke.

Kisuke grinned apologetically. "Sorry, but I was just eager to see a match where you show your Shinigami powers. Now, if you're ready, Sakura-san, please step into the battle area."

Ichigo was teamed up with Chad while Sakura with Uryuu. Both groups battled it out. At first, Sakura concentrated solely on Chad, trying to take him down so that she could fight Ichigo later on. But Ichigo had interfered and he brought Sakura with him to fight one on one, leaving Uryuu and Chad to battle each other. After a few clashes of their blades, Sakura decided to activate her Zanpakutou's shikai.

And the fight went on for about twenty minutes before they decided to take a break. Sakura moved to sit on one of the large boulders. She sighed in exhaustion. And then, a bottle of water came into view.

"_Toushiro-kun…"_

Sakura looked up to see Shuuhei smiling down at her, arm extending to give her the drink. Sakura smiled back at him and grabbed the bottle. "Thank you, Shuuhei-san."

Shuuhei moved to sit beside her. He watched as Sakura chugged down the liquid so fast that small amounts of water spilled from the corners of her mouth. Shuuhei put a hand on her shoulder and chuckled.

"Do you think you'll be able to continue the fight after this? You look exhausted, Sakura-san."

Sakura replaced the bottle cap. She looked at the man beside her and grinned, trying to convince him that she was still up for the fight.

"Of course! I'm not the one to give up that easily."

"Would you like to spar with me some time?" Shuuhei asked.

"Sure. I've always wanted to know what your power is like, Shuuhei-san," Sakura said. Shuuhei leaned in closer to her ear.

"Glad to hear that. We can start as soon as possible."

Sakura felt heat invade her face. It didn't help when Shuuhei still had his hand on her shoulder. Was he trying to flirt with her? Sakura tried to shake those thoughts away.

"Eh, what's this? What are you two doing?"

Startled, Shuuhei pulled his hand away immediately. He and Sakura turned around to see Rangiku standing behind them, a mischievous smirk plastered on her face.

"Rangiku-san, it's not what you think it is!" Shuuhei tried to defend. Sakura shook her head vigorously, trying to get across to Rangiku that there was nothing serious going on. But Sakura knew that convincing Rangiku about something was not easy, especially when she had her suspicions raised by the scene she witnessed in front of her.

But then, Rangiku didn't tease them further. She looked from the corner of her eyes at Toushiro, who was a few metres away from where she was. The young captain caught her observing him and he quickly looked away.

"_Hmph. Hisagi again." _Toushiro drew in a sharp breath, feeling his blood boiled in anger. He swiped a bottle of water, removed the lid and drained its contents.

"Those two seem pretty close, don't you think?" Renji asked Rukia. Toushiro heard that but decided to ignore it and continued to chug down the rest of his drink.

"Yeah. Do you think they're an item?"

Toushiro spitted out his drink. Renji and Rukia watched him questioningly.

With an eyebrow raised, Renji asked, "Are you okay, Hitsugaya-taichou?"

Toushiro pretended to study his bottle for a while. "Must be a bad one."

With the now-empty bottle in his grip, Toushiro jumped from boulder to boulder, making his way out of the underground. Sakura saw him go. They hadn't talked to each other until now and it hurt her. For the past week, they occasionally had exchanged brief glances at one another and that was about it. Toushiro hadn't even made an attempt to talk to her. Sakura tightened her grip on Hikari no Tsubasa and stood up, ready for the next fight. She didn't want to think more about complicated things.

She made one step ahead when Shuuhei called her name. "Sakura-san."

Sakura turned to face him. "What is it, Shuuhei-san?"

The man rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. Carefully he said, "I'm sorry about… about the thing just now."

"It's okay. Thank goodness Rangiku-san didn't misunderstand further," Sakura said, giving him a reassuring smile. She then headed back to the battle area where Ichigo, Uryuu and Chad were waiting.

At the moment, she wanted to become stronger.

X

Day three in the human world. Still no traces of hollows. Toushiro flipped close his cell phone which also served as a hollow radar. Looking to his right, the ocean came into view. He moved his body so that he was now facing the beach, feeling the warm breeze caressing his skin. He closed his eyes. As usual, the first thing that came to mind whenever he did that was none other than Haruno Sakura.

He knew Sakura was having a difficult time at the moment. He wasn't sure of the extent of her love for him, but hearing her said what she had said not long ago and for him to have objected it, Sakura must have been feeling downright disappointed. He admitted that he had been a bit harsh on her. But he hadn't expected Sakura to say that she wanted to stay with him forever. She hadn't thought of the consequences. She could even be killed.

And Sakura by any means would not be killed. Toushiro made sure of that.

One thing he loved about her was her determination. She had a goal set ever since she entered Soul Society. And Toushiro didn't want that goal to be shattered easily. He cared so much for her to see her dream vanished just like that.

Toushiro opened his eyes. He made a step forward, and continued walking on the ground where there were beautiful beach stones to be admired.

Not far away, Sakura was walking along the beach, listening to the sound of the gentle waves. She kept on walking, counting the shells she could see in the sand as she passed by. It was silent at the beach at that time since there wasn't anyone else besides her. Sakura easily found herself thinking about Toushiro and about their current situation.

"_23…24…25 shells… Ah, that one's pretty…27…"_

At one point, she wished that there was a miracle and that Toushiro would just appear before her when she looked up. Maybe then, they would stop treating each other like this and return back to the state where they had been so content with each other. But she knew that wouldn't be easy.

When she got tired of counting shells, her gaze lifted off the ground.

And there he was, standing a few feet ahead of her with his hands in his pockets. Toushiro seemed to be surprised at the sight of her. He didn't say anything but he was staring at her with his mouth slightly agape. Sakura's eyes soften in sadness. She tried to control herself from running to him.

"T-Toushiro…kun…"

Toushiro took a step forward. And then the ground shook. Sakura fell down on her knees and Toushiro rushed to her side, holding her arm. He retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and flipped it open. Surely enough, there was a hollow nearby.

It was there on the beach, standing a few metres behind them. It gave a loud growl. Toushiro was in his Shinigami form in an instant. He lunged forward and cut the hollow with his Zanpakutou. Within a few seconds, the hollow was gone. There was a beeping sound coming from Sakura's pocket. She quickly retrieved her cell phone and found out that another hollow was coming.

"Another one!"

She barely stood up when another hollow appeared before her. In the midst of searching for a gikongan in her bag in order to eject her Shinigami form, the hollow attacked her. Sending her a few metres away and she was crashed into a nearby tree.

"Sakura!"

The said girl didn't respond. She had been knocked out.

"_Don't tell me… She hit her head."_ Toushiro lunged forward and with a cry, he defeated the hollow with his Zanpakutou, turning it into spirit particles which floated in the air, going to Soul Society.

X

On the brink of consciousness, Sakura felt a throbbing pain in her head. She moaned aloud.

"You're awake?"

Sakura forced her heavy eyelids to open. She didn't take in her surroundings just yet. Instead, she focused on the feel of her body moving. No. She wasn't moving. Something supported her. And that it was moving. The sound of footsteps was what came to mind next. She felt cold hands under her knees. Slowly looking up, she realized that she was on Toushiro's back. She tightened her grip around his shoulders.

"I'm not heavy, am I?"

"No, don't worry about that. Are you okay?"

"I guess…"

Everything became quiet just then. Both of them silently tended to their emotions and enjoying each other's company. Sakura wondered why Toushiro was carrying her like this, taking his time to reach home. He could have just shunpo'ed and then they would be back at the Urahara shop in an instant. Instead, he was back in his gigai, carried her on his back and walked towards home. It was already night time and the surrounding was getting cold.

Toushiro might be cold as well because of Hyourinmaru. But Sakura felt comfortable on him. She didn't need warmth at the moment. She could just enjoy being with him.

"I missed you."

"…Uhm."

Sakura smiled. Toushiro didn't have to say that he missed her too for her to know his real feelings. The simple 'uhm' was enough for her. Toushiro was just that kind of person who didn't show their true feelings. And then she winced in pain. Not because of her head, but she felt something wasn't right with her left foot.

"What's wrong, Sakura?"

"I think I twisted my ankle earlier."

Toushiro went to a nearby bench and set her down onto it. Toushiro went down on one knee in front of her. "Which foot?"

"Left."

Toushiro carefully untie her shoe and gently removed it. Sakura bent forward to touch her ankle. With both hands, she rubbed her foot with care. Then, her hand glowed green and she began healing herself. Within a minute, the healing stopped. Sakura leaned back in her seat and sighed.

"Is it cured?"

"Not entirely. I just have to rest it for a while before I can walk properly."

Still on his knee, Toushiro lifted his head to look Sakura in the eye. His right hand reached for her left hand. Their fingers then intertwined.

"Sakura, I'm sorry."

Sakura shook her head. "You don't have any reason to be."

They closed the gap between them within a few seconds and kissed. Neither had learned their lesson. All worries that they had been facing for the past week were put at the back of their mind, not even minding the consequences they might face in the future. They were careless.

Because they were in love.

Somewhere in the bushes stood someone who just arrived. Not willing to witness the scene in front of him anymore, he turned on his heels and disappeared. Feeling glad that it was dark enough for him to slip by unnoticed.

**-End of Chapter 19-**

* * *

**Next Chapter: Forbidden Love **

**A/N: Everyone, especially the new readers (if there are any), might be confused about the earlier part of this chapter where Ukitake, Byakuya and the rest were discussing about what happens when the seven Shinobis are dead. There was a discussion about this earlier in chapter 6. Well you know what? That part in chapter 6 was full of crap and I've deleted it. No one in this story knows where the seven ninjas' soul will go to if they're dead. (I even made Rukia not know about the spiritual balance of the world T.T When in actuality everyone in Bleach knows about that basic thing) **

**So to make things straight, MOST people of Konoha don't know about the importance of Shinigami killing the hollows. I'll make up for this confusion in the later chapters. I promise. Sorry for the messed up part.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Have a nice day. ;)**


	20. Forbidden Love

From Two Different Dimensions

Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.

Chapter 20: Forbidden Love

* * *

The forest was too quiet for him. In a matter of minutes, the Konohagakure gate would come into view and he would be back home. Kakashi walked with a hand in his pocket while the other holding his Icha Icha Tactics book. The solo mission had been a piece of cake. Now that an important document was safely delivered to Sunagakure, his job was done for the week.

All of the sudden, there was a rustle in the nearby bushes. And he knew he was being followed. Kakashi closed his book in a snap, and the stalker jumped out planning to attack him from behind.

Yoruichi appeared in between Kakashi and the attacker and in one grace movement sent the enemy a few metres back, crashing into a tree. Kakashi turned around to see who had been following him. There, sat on the ground near the broken tree, was a person with a pale skin and a piece of broken mask on his face. He even had a hole as big as a fist on his chest.

That couldn't be a person.

"Don't tell me…"

"It's an Arrancar. Don't let your guard down, Kakashi," Yoruichi warned him.

Cursing, the Arrancar slowly got back to his feet and fired a cero towards them. Kakashi and Yoruichi jumped, creating a large space in between them for the cero to shot through. Kakashi made a few hand seals.

"Katon: Gaokakyu no Jutsu!"

A massive fireball was expelled from his mouth, which was dodged effortlessly by the Arrancar. Jumping into the air, the Arrancar was instantly faced with Yoruichi, who had appeared in a flash. With one swing of her leg, she knocked him down to the ground. She managed to tear a piece of the white cloth from him, which got stuck to her shoe.

"Shit. You'll pay for this. Just you wait." With that said, the Arrancar fled. Kakashi was about to chase after him but Yoruichi put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

"Kakashi, I can't feel his presence anymore. He's completely gone."

Kakashi relaxed his posture. "Damn it."

Bending down, Yoruichi picked up the piece of cloth on her shoe. She observed it for a while before throwing it aside. Before the tiny material could land on the ground, Kakashi caught it.

"This might help," the Jounin said. Yoruichi stared at him, confused.

"How so?"

The Jounin made a few handseals, put his palm onto the ground before black markings appeared on it. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Pakkun appeared in a puff of smoke in front of Kakashi. "Yo, what is it now, Kakashi?"

Yoruichi widened her eyes in surprise at the summoning technique. She had been witnessing quite interesting things in the Shinobi world. After all, it was the world where ninjas were vast in number. She put a thumb under her chin in a thinking manner.

"_Interesting. The dog can talk."_

Kakashi showed Pakkun the white cloth. Pakkun sniffed the scent.

"You know what to do."

"Yes. I'm on it." With that, Pakkun rushed into the forest in search for the enemy.

X

"It disappeared!"

Ikkaku and Yumichika skidded to a halt at Momo's exclaim. Momo stopped running as well and continued to observe her cell phone. The two men peeked over her shoulders to look at the gadget. The hollow indicator had gone off, implying the large reiatsu to have suddenly disappeared.

"Damn it. I was ready for some action," said Ikkaku.

"If it keeps disappearing before we can even reach to where it is, this mission's going to be hard," Yumichika stated and crossed his arms over his chest.

Momo sighed and flipped her cell phone close. She glanced at the corner of her eyes and saw someone coming out of the trees. Within a few seconds, she recognized him.

"Ah!"

Sai looked over his shoulder to see where the sound came from. His eyes widen in surprise at the sight of three Shinigamis standing on the pathway towards the Konohagakure gate. Momo stepped forward and stopped in front of the Shinobi, just a few feet away. Ikkaku and Yumichika looked at each other, shrugged and then followed suit.

"You're the person I bumped into the other day. Well, literally," Momo said, sticking her tongue out at the memory.

Sai thought for a while, rummaging his brain for that piece of information. Hollows did come a few weeks ago. So, the Shinigamis did as well to aid the Shinobis in defeating them,. And then there she was, a few metres ahead running towards somewhere but she had bumped into him.

The artist smiled. "I think I remember you."

And then his smile faded. "Listen, just now I sensed an unfamiliar presence nearby. But it suddenly disappeared. Can you guys still feel it?"

The three Shinigamis shook their head. Ikkaku said, "We were actually chasing after it. But it's suddenly gone."

"We need to tackle him down before he harms any innocent people," told Momo. Sai nodded, agreeing with what was told. Then, he saw two figures entering through the Konohagakura gate which was not far away from his current spot.

"Kakashi-sensei."

X

**Karakura Town, Human World.**

It was seven in the morning and the Urahara shop was still quiet. When Sakura reached the bottom of the stairs, she looked around. Surely everyone was still asleep. She tightened her robe before moving towards the kitchen. She yawned. And then the sliding doors of the meeting room creaked open. It made her jump back a bit at the sudden movement.

"Sakura-san, can we talk for a moment?"

That voice belonged to Kisuke. Sakura wondered for a while what kind of discussion they would have this early morning. But then again, she thought she had an idea of it. The kunoichi made her entry to the meeting room and saw Kisuke sitting at the wooden circular table, sipping his cup of green tea. There was another cup of green tea situated on the table across from him.

"Have a drink, Sakura-san."

After sliding the door close, Sakura sat and drank as told. She had been thirsty ever since she woke up that morning. Gently putting down her cup, she looked up at the former twelfth Division Captain.

"What is it, Kisuke-san?"

"I believe you have been communicating with your Zanpakutou now that you've known all the information that everyone needed. To be honest, this occurrence is quite rare to all of us. Who would've known that your Zanpakutou was the remnant of a soul who lived one hundred years ago?"

Sakura nodded slowly. "Yes. Hikari no Tsubasa appeared before me once I found out everything that happened in the past. She told us everything."

"Us?"

"…Hitsugaya-taichou was there."

"Hmm… I thought your Zanpakutou would show herself in your unconscious state. Like, you know Zanpakutous usually communicate with their Shinigamis in their inner world."

"At that time, she was in her materialized form."

"I see. Another rare event." Kisuke sipped on his drink again, letting silence befall the room.

Sakura began to speak. "Correct me if I'm wrong but… Aizawa Ryo-san was a former seated officer in the twelfth Division Squad, right?"

"You guessed right. I know him and we used to work together. Why did you think so, by the way?"

"Everyone made it sound like he was a very intelligent Shinigami and that his discovery of the Shinobi world was one of his brilliant researches. So I couldn't think of any division he would've been placed in."

Kisuke nodded, acknowledging Sakura's remark. He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"I might actually know how to close the gate for good…"

Sakura shot him a surprising look.

"…If I hadn't left Soul Society prior to the discovery," Kisuke finished and sipped on his drink again.

Sakura exhaled slowly, easing her tense shoulders. She wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved at the moment. And she hated herself for thinking like that. For the past five months, everyone especially in the Shinobi world wanted peace once more. They wanted the hollows to stop coming and destroying the village. It was even worse when people who do not possess the ability to see the hollows, such as the normal villagers, were killed in an instant they reached anywhere near the hollows.

The chaos had got to stop.

"Kisuke-san… Do you know what happens after the gate is closed? What's gonna happen to me?" Sakura found herself asking the questions that had been lingering in her mind for a while now. Kisuke took out his fan, snapped it open and began fanning himself.

"Of course you will have to be back in your own world once the gate is closed. Oh, and it won't just close. I suppose, the pathway to your world will disappear as well. You know what that means to both worlds once that happens?"

Sakura contemplated for a while. In the end, she shook her head.

"Simple… It means, neither one of the dimensions would think the other has ever existed. When the portal is closed, it won't be like a door is simply closed and locked. And that the door that separates two rooms cannot be broken down with force and power. No. That's not the case, Sakura-san."

"Then, what is it?"

Kisuke put his fan in front of his face, slightly lowering it so he could see her above the fan. "The door will be locked. And disappear completely."

"…leaving only an empty wall as the boundary between two rooms," Sakura concluded, her hands balling into fists on her lap to make it stop shaking.

"And one more thing. I'm not saying this based on a mere guess but… Sakura-san…"

Sakura waited, expecting something more that might shock her.

"You might lose your Shinigami powers after that."

Beyond the sliding doors stood another person listening in to the conversation. Toushiro closed his eyes and sighed. He moved to the stairs and went back to his room.

X

It was one of those dreams where he was aware that it was a dream. He stood out among all the people that gathered around someplace even he didn't recognize. Those people weren't visible to him since he had his back shown to them. But he knew they were there behind him. He just didn't mind them. Because everyone's attention, including him, was focused on one enormous dark portal that was located directly in front of him.

And then everyone yelled. Saying that the portal must be closed at once. He gritted his teeth in annoyance at the deafening noise.

Toushiro looked left and right. He failed to see any traces of pink anywhere. He couldn't even feel her reiatsu. She of all people should be here, witnessing the infamous gate. Haruno Sakura was responsible to close it and end the ongoing chaotic situation for good. Only she had the power to do so.

He didn't say those words. The Shinigamis behind him did. Again, the Captain looked around for the kunoichi but failed to find her. And then, something was coming out from the portal, reaching towards him. Toushiro widened his eyes in surprise at the huge claws pointing at him. He was glued to the spot, observing the arm slowly coming out and he silently waited to be ripped.

But someone had taken it for him. When Toushiro opened his eyes, Sakura's back came into view. To his horror, the hollow's claws had dug through her chest and stomach. Sakura slowly turned her head around to face Toushiro. Blood was dripping down her chin.

Furious, horror, sadness… Toushiro felt all different kinds of emotions rushing into him. He extended his trembled arms out and Sakura fell into them as the hollow's arm magically disappeared. So did everyone else who had been behind Toushiro. They all left because of the scene in front of them. Sakura looked up at him.

"I'm willing to sacrifice myself… For you."

Toushiro jolted awake from the horrendous nightmare. Now sitting up straight on the couch, he brought a shaking hand to his forehead and wiped his sweat away. He stared at the wall for a good ten minutes. And just then he realized.

He might inflict some dangers upon her if they continued to be together like this.

X

**Shinobi World.**

"He's hiding in the cave, Kakashi," Pakkun said.

Kakashi, Sai, Yoruichi, Momo, Ikkaku and Yumichika were now facing a large cave with its entrance blocked by a huge boulder. One might say that a two-storey house could fit in the cave. It was a mystery how the Arrancar had gotten inside of it.

"Your job's over now, Pakkun. Thank you," Kakashi thanked the dog. Pakkun glanced at Kakashi's shoulder, where a black cat sat on comfortably, looking like a loving pet. Pakkun frowned.

"Who's that? Your new pet?" the nin-dog asked, feeling irritated. Yoruichi smirked in amusement. She titled her head so that her temple touched Kakashi's masked cheek. The intimacy further irritated the nin-dog.

"This one's not exactly a cat. The woman you saw earlier today, Pakkun, is able to transform into this form at will," Kakashi explained, using his thumb and index finger to push the cat's chin away from his face. Sai placed his thumb under his chin in a thoughtful manner and nodded at the new information he just learned.

"Whatever. I'll be gone now. See you." And then Pakkun disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sai turned to Momo. "So you guys can transform into an animal?"

"Well…No-"

"Perhaps you can turn into a bunny?"

"…Sai-kun, we do not have the ability to do such thing."

"Oh."

Everyone stared at the huge boulder that was blocking the entrance to the cave. It would require some effort to crush it. Ikkaku asked, "So how do we get in?"

"Stand back, everyone," told Momo all of the sudden. Everyone did as told. The brunette extended her arms out and started reciting the long incantation before shouting, "Hadou no. thirty-one: Shakkaho!"

Momo fired countless balls of red energy at the boulder, destroying it into pieces. The dark entrance was visible now and ready to be invaded. But just then, something shot through and hit Momo on the arm, tearing her sleeve. The Arrancar appeared behind her with his back facing hers. His sword was tainted with blood. Momo held her injured arm, wincing in pain as blood oozed out from the huge cut.

"Damn, he's fast!" Ikkaku yelled. Sai was quick to act. He had drawn a bird on his scroll, and the large ink bird emerged and dragged Momo away from the enemy, bringing her to the group's safe side. Kakashi, Yoruichi, Ikkaku and Yumichika stepped forward, facing the Arrancar.

And the battle started.

X

**Karakura Town, Human World.**

Toushiro and Sakura were sitting on the veranda behind the shop. The day had been peaceful so far without any intrusion by the hollows. Sakura looked around Kisuke's backyard and saw Ururu and Jinta quarrelling at the far end of the small field. Those two would never change.

Sakura turned to the Captain beside her and smiled at him. She asked casually, "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing much. It's getting boring here."

"Ah, you're saying you want those hollows to come so you can be in action?"

"I don't mean that."

Sakura giggled before gazing into the sky. "What a nice weather. I'm bored too, Toushiro-kun. I wish there's something we could do to kill the time."

Toushiro turned to stare at her. Sakura stared back and saw a hint of mischief in his eyes. He then put his arms behind his head and lied down on the floor. "How about I take you to a room? We might find ourselves doing something fun."

Sakura's face had gotten as red as a tomato by now. Toushiro opened one eye to look at her. He smirked, greatly amused at her reaction.

"Taichou!"

"What? We could play cards or something."

"Oh… Why you-"

"Hitsugaya-taichou. Sakura-san," someone interjected. Both said people looked up to see Shuuhei with Rangiku behind him. Toushiro went back to sitting position.

"What is it, Hisagi, Matsumoto?"

"We just got a report from Soul Society that an Arrancar was sighted in the Shinobi World," Shuuhei told them.

The news got both Sakura and Toushiro to their feet immediately. Sakura voiced out, "I think we should go there now!"

"Haruno, remember our mission is here. Not there," Toushiro told her. "Don't worry though. I heard Captain-Commander Yamamoto assigned some Shinigamis to go to the Shinobi World."

"He's right, Sakura. There's no need to worry at all. I'm sure they can handle the Arrancar," Matsumoto reassured the pink-haired kunoichi. Shuuhei watched the girl for a few moments, knowing her frustration over the situation and so he put a hand on top of her shoulder. Sakura looked up at him.

"I'm sure Madarame, Ayasegawa and Hinamori will defeat him. By now, I think they're already fighting," told Shuuhei.

"What?"

All eyes riveted to Toushiro at that instant. He had a look of disbelief on his face. "Hinamori went along with them?"

Rangiku and Shuuhei exchanged odd looks before they looked back at the Captain. Rangiku spoke up, "Just shortly after we departed from Soul Society, Captain-Commander ordered two or three Shinigamis to check out the places in the Shinobi world. And so Yumichika and Ikkaku volunteered to do it. Hinamori then said she wanted to come along. So they allowed her."

Toushiro exhaled slowly, relaxing his posture. Not that he didn't believe in the competency of the fifth Division lieutenant. Momo had had been recuperating for a long time and just shortly after the hollow invasion in the Shinobi world, she was able to walk around and looking healthy. But she was advised to not strain herself too much and that she hadn't regained all of her strength completely.

_I'm going now. See you later, Shiro-chan._

_Hmmph… Stop calling me that. And stop patting my head._

_I'll only call you by your name when you get to the same school as I am. Bye now, Shiro-chan._

Memories of the past started playing in his head. Toushiro turned his back to the other three persons and began to move inside the shop. "I'm going inside. Tired."

The door was closed, leaving Sakura to stare at it in confusion. She muttered, "He look worried…"

Sakura had never seen that side of him before. She had only seen him concerned over work, but the expression she witnessed just now seemed more distressed than she had ever seen. And then realization hit her once she recalled how Momo was the only one in the whole Soul Society who never seemed to have second thoughts on calling him without the title 'Captain'. Now that Sakura thought about it, the two must have a special bond between them.

"Sakura."

Startled, Sakura turned to Rangiku. The blonde noticed the change in Sakura's face and gave her a warming smile. "It's true that taichou is worried about Hinamori. After all, she's his childhood friend."

"Childhood…friend?"

"You didn't know? They grew up together in Rukongai."

"Oh…" Sakura knew she shouldn't be feeling like this but she felt a stab of envy. Had she known about their relationship from the start, then she wouldn't have to be insecure about it. Sakura closed her eyes and pressed her cheeks with her hands.

"_Stupid. They're just close friends! SHANNARO! Why do I even have to worry about it?"_

Shuuhei studied Sakura's expression and frowned. Toushiro's earlier reaction had been abrupt and he had left just like that. Now Sakura looked worried herself. Still, he couldn't believe what he had seen the other night at the street when he was just taking a walk to get some fresh air. Along the way, beyond the shrubs he had seen the young Captain and the kunoichi together, their face close to each other. It had taken a while for it to sink in that they might have been seeing each other behind people's back all this time.

Having the idea of exactly why they had never wanted to disclose their relationship, Shuuhei decided to keep it to himself and pretended that he had never seen it. But he felt a tug on his heart whenever he thought about the two of them. He was an utterly disappointed.

And then Sakura disappeared from his view, suddenly blocked by Rangiku's body. Sakura was pulled to the blonde's chest, her face squished to Rangiku's cleavage.

"Aww why the long face, Sakura? Cheer up!"

"R-Rangiku-sssan… You're chhoking mee!"

"Cheeeerr up!" Rangiku said in a sing-sang voice. If the bear hug wasn't enough, she was swaying the poor kunoichi from right to left, left to right.

Shuuhei widened his eyes. He rushed behind Sakura and tried to pry her away from Rangiku's grasp.

"Rangiku-san, let her go!"

"Eeeekk…"

"Ohoooohoooo!"

X

Toushiro heard a sudden creak of the door. He riveted his eyes from the ceiling to the door, and sat straight on the couch. He saw Sakura peeking in before she noticed his presence and quietly she walked in. The room which Toushiro shared with Shuuhei and Renji for their stay in the living world was silent. Sakura moved towards Toushiro and took a seat beside him.

"Sakura, what is it?"

"Ne, Toushiro-kun… Are you okay now?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You looked upset earlier…"

"…I'm just surprised that Hinamori had to fight again. She's not completely recovered yet," Toushiro explained. Sakura nodded in understanding. She now had the idea of what his feelings towards Momo were. Since they used to grow up together, of course Toushiro of all people would care for her the most. They cared each other like siblings. Yeah, Sakura believed that was the truth.

With a new idea she just came up with, Sakura decided to tell Toushiro. "Since it's boring, let's hang out together. You know… just the two of us. Like… a date?"

Toushiro was brought out of his daze after that. A thoughtful expression replaced the scowl on his face. He then leaned back in his seat, seeming like not favouring the idea.

"You don't want to _play cards_?" Toushiro said, emphasizing the last two words as if to remind her of their earlier conversation at the veranda.

"Taichou."

"Where do you want to go?"

Sakura's smile came back. "I saw this café near the beach we went to yesterday. Let's go there."

"Alright."

Their cell phones gave a sudden alert. Toushiro flipped his phone open and stared at the screen, studying the amount of energy displayed.

"Huge hollow?"

"What?"

"There're three of them. All having a greater power than usual."

X

They were divided into three groups, as ordered by Toushiro. Ichigo and Rukia went west, while Shuuhei and Rangiku rushed to the south and last but not least, Toushiro, Renji and Sakura moved to the east of Karakura town.

The last group arrived in a huge soccer field. Sensing a great presence looming, they went into their fighting stance. A garganta was then opened beside the goal and then came out a huge hollow that had a body like a human being. Except that it was ten times bigger. Furthermore, it was red in colour.

"That's not a mere hollow. Its reiatsu is even bigger than a Huge Hollow," Renji stated.

"It's an Adjuchas…" Toushiro said. Sakura had never encountered them before, but she did study about them.

"There's another one over there," told Sakura and she pointed to a similar creature roaming around the forest over twenty metres ahead. But this one was blue in colour.

Toushiro looked over to where Sakura was pointing at. "I'll take care of the blue one. Sakura, Abarai, you two take care of the one here!" the Captain said and took off.

"Yes, Hitsugaya-taichou!" Renji called out, watching Toushiro disappeared into the forest. _"Eh? Sakura…? Since when…"_

Sakura went ahead to fight the nearby Adjuchas. "The power of wind rules all. Release, Hikari no Tsubasa!"

Hikari no Tsubasa took up a bigger size before Sakura made a swift swing that created a huge wind blowing towards the Adjuchas. The attack was countered by a cero, which cancelled the wind.

"Hmph, weak," the Adjuchas muttered.

Renji appeared in front of Sakura before he jumped up into the air. "Howl, Zabimaru!"

Toushiro stopped behind the blue Adjuchas, which then turned around after sensing the Captain's presence. He looked away after that, making the young Captain furious.

"Never turn your back on your enemy!"

"I sensed a unique reiatsu coming from that direction," the blue Adjuchas said looking far ahead. Toushiro glanced to where it was looking and found out that Sakura was the centre of its attention.

"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!"

The weather changed with the sky getting dark. Toushiro raised his arm up, pointing his Zanpakutou upwards.

"Don't you even think of touching her." Toushiro then brought his katana down pointing towards the Adjuchas. "Fight me."

The Adjuchas snorted. "I'll have to finish you first."

Toushiro leapt into the air and went to slice the Adjuchas with Hyourinmaru. But the Adjuchas disappeared and reappeared a few feet away behind Toushiro. The Captain didn't expect for it to escape so fast. He assumed that the technique was the Adjuchas' unique ability. Toushiro descended to the ground and turned around to face the Adjuchas. The long metal chain attached to Hyourinmaru's hilt was thrown at the Adjuchas and Toushiro caught him immediately on the arm. His sight trailed down the arm.

The moment he saw the huge claws, Toushiro was instantaneously reminded of the deadly claws that he saw in the dream he had had earlier. There were flashes of various scenes from the dream played in his mind at the moment, making him unaware of his letting his guard down.

The image of Sakura slowly dying in his arms was driving him crazy that he thought he should shout to make it all go away.

"Hitsugaya-taichou! Watch out!" Renji's loud voice pierced through the young Captain's ears, shattering his disturbing thoughts in an instant. Toushiro whirled his head around, and knew that he won't have enough time to dodge the enormous tail that was coming down to hit him.

And then it all happened like it was in slow motion. Sakura appeared in between, blocking Toushiro's view of the Adjuchas' tail that had managed to sneak its way behind him when he had been lost in his thoughts. Sakura took the hit, the thick and huge tail slamming her to a tree so hard that it broke down.

It all seemed like a bad case of déjà vu.

Realizing that he still had the Adjuchas in his grip, he tightened the metal chain on the Adjuchas' arm and let the ice travelled from the arm to the rest of its body, freezing it wholly.

"Howl, Zabimaru!"

The Adjuchas was cut into two by Zabimaru's long segmented blade, killing in within seconds.

Sakura made a few handseals before she started healing her injured hip. Toushiro and Renji arrived beside her. The former went down on his knees to get a better view of Sakura's face.

"…Why do you like to do reckless things?"

Sakura stopped her healing and looked at Toushiro, giving him a reassuring smile. "I'm fine now. So, no problem."

She slowly got to her feet, but when she did, she lost her balance. Renji immediately caught her, putting her arm around his neck to support her.

"Oi, be careful."

"Thank you."

The two walked slowly, Renji guiding her forward to move out of the forest. Toushiro was left to stare at Sakura's back. Not only did Sakura hurt herself because of him. But he also almost got himself hurt due to the unwanted distraction.

"_What is that dream trying to tell me…?"_

X

**Konoha Village, Shinobi World.**

"Sai-kun, did you bandage her arm?"

"Y-yes…"

"It seems that you've tightened it a bit more than you should have!"

"I'm sorry. I'm not really good at it."

Ino sighed as she slowly extended her patient's arm out, loosening the white material with care. She feared that the slight improper treatment by the artist had affected the blood flow of the patient severely. The blonde examined Momo's injured arm before her hand glowed green and began healing the Shinigami.

Momo smiled as she observed her arm being treated. "Don't blame it entirely on Sai-kun. I'm grateful that he took his time to take care of me."

Ino looked up at Sai, who was standing beside the desk she was sitting at. "I gotta say though. It's a good thing that you have a medical kit with you. When did you start doing it? Or was it just a coincidence that you brought some bandages for the mission?"

Sai was puzzled for a moment. If he thought back on it, he was reminded of the missions he had had been on lately with team Kakashi. They had been different this time due to the absence of a certain pink-haired medic. Sometimes a backup medic was not assigned to the team, leading to a hectic situation when someone from the team got injured. And then it had made Sai think about Sakura and how the team missed her so much. That was how he started packing some medical supplies along with the rest of his equipment whenever he went for a mission.

"I got used to it," Sai replied confidently. Ino went to focus on the healing again. She frowned, noticing how deep Momo's wound was. It took more time than usual for the injury to be healed. When the treatment was done, Ino sighed in relief. She looked at Momo.

"Momo-san, you're fine now." She bit her lip before she talked again, "The cut was big I tell you. It's like the enemy intended to cut your arm off."

"He was very fast. I'm lucky I just got a scratch."

"I wouldn't call it a scratch, Momo-san."

Momo slowly stood up and bowed to Ino. "Thank you so much, Ino-san."

It was Ino's turn to stand up. She nodded and then proceeded to lead Sai and Momo downstairs to the flower shop. Momo was mesmerized by the beautiful flowers in the room. She then spotted some yellow petals somewhere near the roses. She approached them, and took one flower out. She stared at it for a moment. A smile appeared on her face.

Ino came over beside her. The flower instantly reminded her back when she was thirteen, where Sakura came by to her shop to buy some daffodils. Ino had thought that Sakura would buy a rose for Sasuke. But she had picked daffodils instead. She brought two. Another one was for Lee. And then Ino and Sakura walked together towards the hospital to give the guys those flowers.

Ino came back to reality. She looked from Momo to the flower. "That's a daffodil. Is it your favourite?"

Momo's smile became bigger. She held it out towards the open door of the shop, and continued on staring at the flower. "No. But it reminds me of someone."

Someone under the squad Division which had daffodil as its official symbol. Momo then realized that there was someone standing at the doorway. She lowered the flower from her face. And there he was, the man she was thinking about was standing at the shop entrance, looking straight at her.

"Hitsugaya-kun…"

"Hinamori, are you okay?"

"Yeah, but how did you-" Momo stopped in mid-sentence when a few more people appeared at the doorway. Kakashi, Yoruichi, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Renji, Rukia, Rangiku and Toushiro stepped inside the flower shop. For a moment there a few of them had their eyes looking at the beautiful arrangement of flowers in amazement.

Toushiro stopped in front of Momo and observed the flower she was holding. His eyebrows raised in recognition.

Sai then spoke, "Kakashi-sensei, how's the Arrancar?"

"Ah, don't worry. We defeated him."

"That's a relief," Momo said.

"We can't be too happy just yet. More of them might come sooner or later," Yoruichi told everyone. She then turned to Kakashi. "What are the casualties so far?"

Kakashi folded his arms in front of his chest and held a serious expression. "Hollows come at least thrice a week. Not only in Konoha village, but in some other villages as well like the Sand village and Stone village. Hollows made the most damage. They destroy buildings and kill everyone that comes their way. Especially the non-ninjas since they can't see those creatures. These people tend to panic and run away from their damaged properties but sometimes they got run over by the hollows."

"The situation had been slightly improved though. If it's not too late, some ninjas would come and help the villagers escape through the right way. For the past five months, we have recorded about two hundred and fifty-three deaths."

"That's quite a number. We're talking about innocent people being killed _accidentally_ here," Rukia said. Ino put both hands to her chest, reminiscing those bitter events where hollows would suddenly appear during one time of a day and made several damages in the village.

"Fortunately, we happen to have a solution to these disastrous occurrences. Instead of waiting for the seven Shinobis to return here and carry out their duties to defeat the hollows, we can just stop the hollows from coming and end the problem once and for all," told Yoruichi.

Ino's face brightened at the information. "Thank God. What's the solution?"

The Shinigamis, Yoruichi and Kakashi who knew better of the answer didn't actually say right away. The silence made Sai and Ino uncomfortable. They had a feeling that there might be a risk that came with the solution to the said problem.

"Haruno Sakura… She's the answer to that," Yoruichi said finally. Sai creased his brows in confusion while Ino widened her eyes in disbelief.

"What has Sakura got to do with this?" Sai found himself half-yelling. Unlike anyone else, Ino wasn't startled. Not one bit. She looked at the man beside her. He just took the words right out of her mouth.

Toushiro travelled his gaze towards the artist, and immediately recognized him as one of Sakura's teammates. And the man who seemed to have an interest in her. He frowned. "She just found out that there's a power within her that can close the gateway to this world."

Kakashi intervened, explaining more in detail. "A power to close the gateway was sealed in Sakura's great grandfather. And Sakura inherited that power."

Ino knew she had heard something like it before. Now that she knew the truth, she was left speechless. Who would have known that the pink-haired kunoichi, who used to be so fragile during her childhood years, bloomed into a beautiful flower in her teenage years, growing up as a ninja and becoming her rival, had hidden powers within her that was meant to stop the current crisis surrounding the Shinobi world?

"How exactly is Sakura going to end this?" Sai asked.

"Sakura herself hasn't found the answer yet. So, we're just waiting. We might help her try to discover those powers. It might take time but we actually need to rush it," said Rukia.

"She seems to be the centre of everyone's attention now. We need to protect her as well before she is forced to strain herself," Yoruichi told everyone.

Kakashi couldn't agree more. The Chuunin who had been his pupil for more than three years was one of his special comrades. And he trusted these people would keep Sakura in good hands. And then there was another question that he had been meaning to ask. "There's one more thing I'm still not clear about. This portal, what is it really? Don't you guys come here at free will using the Senkaimon? And Garganta in the case of hollows."

Remembering what Kisuke had once told him, Yoruichi spoke up again. "My friend told me that because the pathway to the Shinobi world was discovered, we were able to come here using the Senkaimon."

"It's like a door that leads to the Shinobi world was discovered on a wall that was used to be empty," Rukia stated and held up a sketchbook showing a drawing of a door on a plain white wall. "And because the door suddenly appeared here, windows magically did as well. Like this."

Rukia turned to another page to show the same picture as the previous one. But this time there were a few windows drawn on the wall. The drawing was only briefly shown before she turned to another page. "So we Shinigamis are able to come to the Shinobi world at free will through these windows."

The drawings caught Sai's interest. "Why are those bunnies jumping through the window?"

"…Those are actually Shinigamis. Don't you see the black kimono they're wearing?"

"Rukia… Your drawing…"

"Shut up, Renji."

Toushiro closed his eyes. Things would get more difficult for both he and Sakura from now on. He kind of knew that it would come to this soon. He just never expected it to be this soon. And he knew that they were going to be separated in the end. Knowing Sakura very well, it would affect her so much. He could tell that from the way she had confessed to willing to stay with him in Soul Society. It was going to be a painful ending for her.

And for him.

He cared about her feelings more than his own. In order to protect them, Toushiro was willing to make her take it all easy in the end. Even if he had to use lies.

X

**Karakura Town, Living World.**

Sakura sipped on her glass of orange juice, feeling the cold liquid flow down her throat. The day was hot and she had been so thirsty. She put down her glass on the table, having already drank more than half of it. Sakura gazed out of the window into the clear sky. She smiled.

Now, if only Toushiro could come as soon as possible so they would spend a nice time together.

The promised time was six o'clock. A few minutes had passed and the sun was beginning to set. For a while there, Sakura studied the colour of the sky and noticed how redder it was compared to any other day. It seemed to be telling her something. Which she knew she wouldn't be bothered to know.

_He'll arrive soon. I'm sure he will. He promised…_

And then her cell phone vibrated, startling her in her seat. For one second she was expecting to have received a message from Toushiro. But it was something else.

There was a hollow nearby.

And she knew that none of her friends were nearby to take it down. Sakura looked up once more at the sky, hoping that everything would be alright. She left her table while simultaneously taking out her Shinigami badge.

Following the route shown on her cell phone screen, she found herself on the beach she had visited to the other day. The hollow was huge and had a reiatsu bigger than usual. The substitute Shinigami closed her eyes, took in a deep breath before slowly breathing out. The huge hollow had sensed her reiatsu and so approached her hungrily.

She shunpo'ed, jumped and swung her Zanpakutou, slicing the hollow's head. When she landed back on the ground, Sakura kept her head low and stared at the sand, feeling the hollow's presence slowly disappearing as its body turned into spirit particles. She didn't relax her body just yet. Not when her mind was still in a mess from the thoughts she was having at the moment.

And then her heart skipped a beat when she sensed a familiar reiatsu slowly approaching her. Sakura lifted her head and spun around. She was delighted to see Toushiro there, standing a few feet away from her. She knew she should be happy to see him finally. But there was this bad feeling that she couldn't help.

Toushiro wasn't smiling. He rarely smiled but the expression on his face showed that something was not right. Trying to lighten the atmosphere, Sakura forced a smile.

"Toushiro-kun! Ne… Where were you? I thought we were supposed to meet…earlier…"

The Captain's expression didn't change. "Ah…yes. The date…"

Awkward silence came. Sakura wanted to say more but she knew so much that whatever she was going to say, it was going to be futile. But she tried anyway.

"Toushiro-ku-"

"Sakura… Listen…" Toushiro trailed off, looking at Sakura in a way that he had made a definite decision and that there was no turning back. _"It's for your own good."_

Across the ocean, the sun was almost disappearing and the sky was getting darker. The red and orange in the sky was getting intense. By then she had a feeling that something would come up.

And she knew that she wouldn't like it.

**-End of Chapter 20-**

* * *

**Next Chapter: For Your Own Good**

**A/N: That's it for chapter twenty. Now, I got quite a bad news. This story is going to be on a two-month hiatus. (Don't worry, it won't be another two years :p) The reason is that I want to focus on my studies for the time being as I have to sit for an important examination in May. **

**I'll be back sometime in June. So, I hope my readers will keep sticking to this story. Thank you for all the reviews so far! :) Be sure to check out my profile page for more important news.**

**Yosh, this would be my first time giving responses!**

**easily1994addicted ****– Yeap, it's Shuuhei alright. :D Hahaha. Thank you~**

**angel897 ****– Thank you. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)**

**Nikooru-sama ****– You guessed right! XD Thanks for the review.**

**MnC21 ****– Monica :D Like everyone else, you guessed right. It was definitely Hisagi. Hahaha XD We all seem to support HitsuSaku here. ;) About how much I changed the story… If you're talking about the deleted part in chapter six, don't worry too much about it. They're not really important. All we need to know here is that no one in this story knows the fate of the seven Shinobis when they are dead. And only some people in Konoha village know about the spiritual balance of the worlds (how hollows are supposed to be killed by Shinigamis).**

**Plotwise, I didn't change the story much. So far the story that you're reading still didn't alter from my original idea and notes. Truth to be told, before I published this story, I've made notes up until chapter forty-ish. And then somehow I stopped there. During my two-year hiatus, I re-read and reviewed back on my notes and I realized that not only were they long but they were dull and boring starting from chapter twenty-two onwards. So I made a new plot and shortened the story. But the ending I had for this story had been planned out and I won't change it despite the change of plot. **

**Thank you for your support. ^^**

**alinekiryuu ****– Thank you~ And yeah, again, it's Hisagi. XD I didn't make it difficult for everyone to guess the right answer eh. Lol.**

**Ruby1235 ****– I hope you enjoyed this chapter. ^^ Thanks for the review.**

**To the silent readers, thank you as well for reading. Have a nice day everyone!**


	21. For Your Own Good

**From Two Different Dimensions**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.**

**Chapter 21: For Your Own Good**

* * *

The journey back to Soul Society seemed to take longer than usual. The fact that Toushiro had gotten used to travel back and forth between the real world and Soul Society would mean that the journey should be nothing to him. It had always been just like walking to a neighbour's home. But today was different. His feet were moving, but his mind was heavily clouded.

_What have I done?_

Toushiro looked over his shoulder. He was alone, much to his relief. But then again, it wouldn't be a really bad idea if Sakura had been following him back to Soul Society.

"_I'll…You head back first. I've to pack my things before I can go. See you at the office."_

That was what she had said, coming from a mouth that smiled, through closed eyes that tried to look happy. Sakura had been faking her smile. He knew it. But he was surprised that Sakura would still put up a brave face. Even after hearing the things he had said to her.

The end of the tunnel came to view, and Toushiro knew he had reached Soul Society.

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society.**

The higher ranks within Gotei 13 were holding another meeting to speak about their current findings.

"Wasn't he one of the top Shinigamis back then? I hate to say it but him dying in the midst of fighting mere hollows, no matter how many there were, is quite unacceptable. Given that he had assistance back then."

"Other Shinigamis survived. Some escaped with multiple injuries."

"Anything could have happened to Aizawa Ryo. He could've let his guard down and at that exact moment a hollow might've attacked him. They were just so many of them."

"I'm not saying anything here. This is just an assumption. What if, Aizawa Ryo had planned to die in the battlefield all along?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Yeah, why would he do that? The man loved his family enough to remain alive and return home to them."

"I told you it's just an assumption. But if you think about it, it's plausible. Aizawa Ryo was a Shinigami who had resided in the Shinobi world for far too long. And no one knew that Shouko was pregnant. If word got out, it could be problematic to him."

"Maybe he knew if he returned to Soul Society, he would be punished for staying out for too long. Moreover, it's the Shinobi world that was just discovered. He might even be sentenced to death by the Central 46."

"So… you're saying he would rather get killed on the battlefield than being brought to Central 46?"

"If that means to protect Shouko and their child, then yes."

"Aizawa Ryo might have held back on purpose when he was fighting the hollows."

Heated discussions about Aizawa Ryo were still on-going up to this day. Among the Shinigamis, Toushiro listened quietly without uttering a single word. His brain might be processing the current chaotic situation surrounding both worlds, but his heart was aching. And yearning.

"_I'm sorry, Haruno Sakura… What I did... That is for your own good."_

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society.**

**Sakura's P.O.V.**

Damn, it's very cold right now. After everything, all I want is a good rest on my warm, comfy bed and sleep all my worries away. Sniff. No, not this time. I'm not going to let myself cry. Cold air hit my face as I unlock the door of my apartment. Quickly I run inside and slam the door shut. It was less cooler inside, but still it couldn't help to stop my trembling body. I drop my backpack, run towards the bedroom and collapse onto the bed, trying to cover myself underneath the sheets in hopes of getting warm. But the sheets are cold.

"Shit." I tear them away from my body and go to the cupboard, searching for a sweater. I pull a red sweater out, quite harshly, and something fall to the ground. It's a small, brown and old box. I've been having it ever since I was a little child. It's where I put my precious things inside. Like my dolls for example. But when I turned five, mom bought me a diary as a birthday gift. So I'd taken out the dolls and threw them away and placed the new diary inside the box. At that time, I was already bored playing with dolls so it wasn't difficult to see them gone. Mom said I was old for them anyway.

My diary was a precious thing. So I kept it in the box, locked and away from people's reach. I stopped writing just after I graduated from the ninja academy though. Didn't know why but time had changed. I just couldn't find the time to write anymore. Not that life have gotten boring and that there was nothing to write about. If anything, my life after I was assigned to be a part of Team 7, was even greater and full of amazing adventures. It just happened that the little book called diary was of no importance to me ever again.

I put my red sweater on and I gladly welcome the sudden warmth that embraced me. I lean against the cupboard, close my eyes and succumb to the warmth with pleasure. A few seconds later I bring my attention to the box lying on the ground again. I reach out for it and examine the lock. It was rusty, because it had been abandoned for far too long, and damaged. I look at the small bits and pieces of rusty metals on the floor. The lock must have had an impact on the floor when the box fell.

Somehow I find that to be a good thing. Now I don't have to look for the key to open the box. I know I've lost it. Slowly I open the lid. Inside the box lies a white book. It's been years since I last wrote anything. And now, I was curious about all the things I've written inside. I turn to the first page. It's just a simple biography about me. Then I turn to the next page. That's where the first entry started.

_Dear diary._

Wow. Old times.

_I hate them. They ruined my day. Mom had asked me to go out and play. So I did. But then those guys were at it again. They said my forehead is too big. Why can't they just leave me alone?_

I instinctively touched my forehead with my fingertips, before placing my entire palm on it. Those days were long gone. My fingers then flip to another page of the diary.

_Dear diary,_

_I met someone who's very nice today. For the first time ever, I felt like someone other than my family actually cared for me. She's pretty and has a blonde hair and blue eyes. I thought she was an angel sent to cheer me up because those mean people had come to me again and made fun of me. I was crying. But then she appeared and chased those bullies away and I looked up. She was smiling. Not like the mocking and sarcastic smile I see plastered on the bullies' face but a very sweet and gentle smile. Her hands were warm when she pushed back my bangs and touched my forehead. At first I thought she was about to make fun of me. But she didn't. _

Ino… I wonder how she is doing nowadays. I missed her. And Naruto and Kakashi-sensei and Tsunade-shishou and Sai. It would be great to see everyone again. The next few pages consisted of daily entries ranging from heart-wrenching memories about bullies to glorious moments of being one of the best students and lastly, to constant rant about how amazing and cool her crush is, Uchiha Sasuke. The page after that is empty. Yet there are still more pages left blank. I am not sure what has gotten to me right now, but my hand automatically reaches for a pen and I start to write.

Where had it all gone wrong? In one moment, everything was perfect and I knew someone really cared about me and loved me. In the next, my happiness was shattered into million pieces and I still cannot comprehend why. When we had our first kiss, it was unexpected yet amazing. I knew Toushiro was the one for me. Okay, maybe it might be too early to say that. But it had felt so right whenever I was with him. We loved each other. At least, that's what I thought until today. Toushiro hadn't looked me in the eyes. Not even for a second. I understand him so much that just by looking at his expression, I knew there was something wrong eventhough he hadn't said a word.

"Sakura, listen…" Toushiro started. But the he let a few moments slide so that awkward silence engulfed them. Sakura studied his face. Although she loved him and she understood him, she couldn't get what was going on in his head at the moment. It seemed like he was trying to find the right words to say.

Toushiro finally looked up, but he wasn't looking into her eyes properly. "I just realized… That this is wrong. Totally wrong."

Sakura could have sworn her heart almost stopped. She tried hard to think positive. "What is? Did I mess up your paperwork, Toushiro-kun?"

That was plain dumb. As soon as she realized that, she mentally smacked herself. She knew she was in denial. Toushiro shook his head dismissively.

"Where were you, Toushiro-kun?" Sakura continued effortlessly.

"There was something important that the others and I had to attend to."

"I see… What is it?"

"It's none of your concern." Toushiro replied sternly, much to Sakura's surprise. "A mere substitute Shinigami like you doesn't need to know what it is."

That was harsh. Sakura swallowed hard, not really sure where this is going. She thought she was a part of them all.

And then, came the shocking part.

"Listen, Sakura. I can't seem to fathom what it is between us. I know we've been together lately, but I'm not sure if it is right for me. I'm sorry. I might not feel the same way towards you as you do towards me."

_What had everything been to you then? Were your feelings just based on lust this whole time? _

"Let's end our relationship. From now on, the only relationship that should exist between us is that of Captain-subordinate. Nothing else. Let's keep it professional."

_For real…?_

"I…"

"Taichou! Please, don't say anything more…" By now, Sakura had hung her head trying to conceal her pained expression. She bit her lip. Her heart was aching and she would have preferred this all to be a dream. And then when she would wake up, Toushiro was beside her, smiling and telling her everything was alright.

But no. It wasn't a dream. Toushiro spoke again.

"I'm sorry again. For everything."

_I loved you entirely! Damn it! _

"I need to go now. There's going to be another meeting between the Captains of Gotei 13. When are you heading back?"

_Why..._

Sakura took in a deep breath and faked a smile. "I'll…You head back first. I've to pack my things before I can go. See you at the office."

"Alright." And just that, he was gone. Sakura was left speechless on her spot.

_It had been one-sided. _

Sakura dropped her wobbly knees to the ground. Her shaking hands touching the wet sand on the beach.

With everything that was going on, this had to happen. Why. Why should I suffer again? The pencil slowly slip out of my grasp. It lands on the floor with a small thud, but loud enough to break the deadly silence in the bedroom. I didn't know what had gotten to me to write today's event in this old diary. But whatever. I put back the book inside the box and shove it quite hardly into the cupboard. I weakly walk over to the bed where I collapse. My sobs begin to fill the entire room.

X

**Konohagakure, Shinobi World.**

Sai put down his brush and admired his just finished painting. It was a picture of an eye. Green orb stared back at him and he stared back deeply, observing the fine details he had done to make the eye more realistic and match to its supposed owner.

A sudden soft buzz nearby interrupted his thoughts of a certain pink-haired kunoichi. Sai turned his head to find his cell phone vibrating on his bed behind him. He grabbed the phone and checked the new message.

_How's Momo-san? – Ino_

_She has gone back to Soul Society with the rest of the Shinigamis. – Sai_

Sai was about to put down the phone but then he got curious.

_You seem to care a lot about her. – Sai_

_What's wrong with that? She's a very nice person. – Ino_

_I read in a book that caring is a sign of love. Do you love her? – Sai_

_Sai. -.- Seriously stop reading books. Learn to understand certain things on your own. – Ino_

_Sakura used to tell me the same thing. – Sai_

It took nearly a minute for Ino to reply.

_I wonder how she's doing… - Ino_

Sai wondered too. On instinct, he searched for Sakura in his contact list and typed a message to her. He wasn't so sure if she was going to receive it immediately due to them currently being in separate worlds, but he just sent the message anyway, hoping Sakura would read it sooner or later.

_How are you? I know everything… The Shinigamis told me about you and your Zanpakutou. – Sai_

After that, Sai put down his phone and began to pack up his drawing equipment. About five minutes later, his phone vibrated. He checked it expecting to receive another message from Ino and was quite surprised to find out that it was Sakura who replied instead.

_Good... :) You know too, eh? Well, it's kinda messed up. Haha. How are you, Sai? – Sakura_

The 'Good...' didn't feel right. Sai had a weird feeling about it but he just brushed it off.

_I'm fine. Thanks. So how are you going to rid this gateway? Do you know? Just curious. – Sai_

_I have to perfect my Shinigami powers before I can do it, it seems. This power which I inherited… is not fully uncovered yet. - Sakura _

_Sakura… It seems like the fate of both worlds depend on you. - Sai_

_:( - Sakura_

_Sorry. I didn't mean to pressure you. – Sai_

_That's the cold reality. The portal will be closed in one month. – Sakura_

_Oh. That's quick. I heard it's gonna take years to perfect your Shinigami skills. Have the Shinigamis found a quicker way to close the portal? – Sai_

Sai became quite worried when Sakura didn't reply for almost ten minutes. Did she decide to drop the conversation? And he was still curious about how they were able to communicate despite being in different worlds. He sent another text again.

_Sakura, where are you? I mean, how come we're able communicate like this when you're in Soul Society whereas I'm in Konoha? – Sai_

Two minutes later, Sai finally received Sakura's message.

_Sai… I WILL make it happen in one month. A few years is too long. I WILL make it happen in one month. _

_And I'm currently not in Soul Society. I'm in Konoha. In front of your house. _

_Sai, I need your help._

**-End of Chapter 21-**

* * *

**Next Chapter: Closing of the Portal**

**Author's note: The Shinobis having a cell phone is quite AU-ish. But I'd like to think that they do have cell phones in canon. Maybe at least like those old 90s handphones? XP And that they rarely use them because they're ninjas and they don't find them useful. Anyway, not really canon but I've seen in an episode of Rock Lee SD where Lee was calling someone via a cell phone. A red cell phone. And I find it cute! XD Okay basically all the characters in Rock Lee SD are cute! Chibis X3  
**

**Anyway, thank you for reading this chapter! Have a nice day you all! **


	22. Closing of the Portal

**From Two Different Dimensions**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.**

**Chapter 22: Closing of the Portal**

* * *

Three months ago, Sakura was just a kunoichi living in Konoha village. A medic ninja trained by the Hokage. And the female member of Team 7. Three months ago, she would never have expected to enter another world. Never had it crossed her mind for her to work with Shinigamis or even obtained a power like theirs.

More importantly, what seemed to be the greatest shock so far was that she had inherited some Shinigami powers. However, the depressing part was that, it was because of these powers that chaos had started in Konoha three months ago, right after she had had in her hands, her great-grandfather's book.

Sakura looked down at the book currently resting in her hands. 'Different Dimension'.

Pink locks swayed in the wind, Sakura tucked some strands of hair behind an ear so that they did not obstruct her view from her great-grandfather's printed words. It was a very rare opportunity to be hundreds of metres above the ground and reading a book while enjoying the cool air around her. Sakura shifted slightly in her seat on the huge ink bird. She looked up and saw Sai's back to her, looking eagerly and very much fascinated by the city below him as the ink bird flew by.

What if she hadn't decided to go to Soul Society to become a Shinigami? What would have happened? Could they still have discovered about Hikari no Tsubasa? They would have definitely recalled Aizawa Ryo as he had been a Shinigami in Soul Society a century ago. But how would they find out about his daughter, who gave up her powers to a Haruno?

Sakura being where she was right now… Was this fate?

"How did you find out about yourself being related to a Shinigami from a hundred years ago?"

Sakura was startled by the sudden question. To be exact, she was startled by the voice after their long fifteen-minute silence. Sai had been admiring the surroundings of Karakura Town ever since they were flying on one of his ink creatures and hadn't uttered a single word aside from a few 'hmm's and 'wow's. They were flying high in the sky so as not to get noticed by the people on the streets, but at a height low enough to see clearly the people walking around. Sakura snapped the book close.

"My Zanpakutou, Hikari no Tsubasa, revealed everything to me," Sakura told Sai.

"Is she really the daughter of that Shinigami... who's his name again?" Sai now faced the pink-haired kunoichi fully.

"Aizawa Ryo. Hikari no Tsubasa is not literally his daughter. His daughter was named Hikari, while Hikari no Tsubasa is my Zanpakutou's name, my true power. I believe before Aizawa Ryo-san died, he sealed some of his powers inside Hikari. And before Hikari died sixteen years later, she transferred the powers to my great-grandfather, Haruno Daisuke. That is how I got my Shinigami powers."

"That is complicated," Sai said.

"It's messed up," Sakura sighed. "Now, everything depends on me to get rid of the portal for good."

Then the ink bird flew past a huge billboard on a pole standing in between two buildings, a few blocks down an intersection. The image displayed was of a couple arguing and a huge caption highlighting 'Amazing Relationship Advices. Bestselling.' And then in small letters but still readable, there was an address of the bookstore that was selling the book. Sai somehow became immediately drawn to it.

"Hmm… Sakura, let's locate the bookstore. I think this book might come in handy-"

Sai's words were cut off as Sakura smacked his head, her eyes twitching in anger. "Sai… We came to this world to train. Not for vacation."

"…Yes, yes," Sai surrendered.

Sai rubbed his head and Sakura returned to her original seating position. Sakura closed her eyes and eased her brows.

Relationships…

It made her instantly thought about her failed relationship with Hitsugaya Toushiro.

**Flashback**

"Let's end our relationship. From now on, the only relationship that should exist between us is that of Captain and subordinate. Nothing else. Let's keep it professional."

That announcement marked the end of their almost two-month relationship. It was brief. Somehow, Sakura had expected something like this to happen sooner or later. For Toushiro to fall in love with her, it was too good to be true. But even so, it still hurt her so much.

There was a long silence as Sakura was left speechless and rooted to her spot. Only the sound of the beach waves accompanied them. Toushiro then started to speak again.

"I…"

"Taichou! Please… Don't say anything more…" Sakura slowly dropped her head, trying to avoid seeing Toushiro's guilt-free face.

_"How could he do this to me?"_

"…I'm sorry again, for everything," he said to her apologetically, but Sakura still failed to sense guilt in his voice. Her silence prompted Toushiro to speak again, "I've to go now. When are you heading back to Soul Society?"

Him and Sakura, as well as Rangiku, Shuuhei, Renji and Rukia who had been staying in the living world for a while now had been ordered to return to Soul Society. She even heard that Momo, Ikkaku and Yumichika who had been touring around Konoha village were asked to return as well. But she knew that sooner or later, they all, if not some, would come back again and this mission would go on as long as the gateway to the Shinobi world still existed. Sakura balled her fists until her arms tremble, but only slightly that Toushiro couldn't notice them.

Sakura took in a deep breath, looked up and forced a smile. "I'll…You head back first. I've to pack my things before I can go. See you at the office."

Toushiro simply nodded. "Alright."

And just like that, he was gone.

About ten minutes later, Sakura arrived at the Urahara shop to get her things. She wasn't sure who had gone back to Soul Society aside from Toushiro. But she sensed a lesser amount of Reiatsu around her now. And then Rukia was seen coming down the stairs.

"Ah Sakura! The others have gone back to Soul Society. I'm supposed to accompany you back so let's go," said the petite Shinigami. But then, the door to the living room opened to reveal Kisuke and Yoruichi.

"Before you leave, Sakura-san… We'd like to have a word with you," Kisuke told Sakura.

The next thirty minutes were spent in convincing Sakura to go for deeper and advanced training.

"As of now, the Shinigami Research and Development Institute are still working on their analysis of the Shinobi World. It is still in discussion whether Soul Society should treat the Shinobi World equally as the Living World here.

Because the Shinobi World was just discovered recently, technically speaking, it contributes to soul imbalances between the worlds. That was why Gotei thirteen's immediate response upon hearing a hollow invaded another dimension three months ago...in order to control chaos and damage at minimum level... was to gather some humans from the Shinobi world and have them undergo Shinigami training," Kisuke explained.

Yoruichi then continued for him, "These humans, or Shinobis, are responsible to take out the bad spirits or hollows in their own world. This is because Shinigamis' responsibility and duty of cleansing souls, ever since thousands of years, are placed in the Living World here."

Kisuke and Yoruichi looked expectantly at Sakura who had been quiet from the beginning.

Sakura then finally spoke, "Now that you found out that I have in me the power to secure the access to the other dimension, this whole situation might come to an end sooner than later."

Kisuke nodded in agreement. "Sakura, you want to save your village, don't you?"

"I want to save the Shinobi world."

"We're offering to train you," Yoruichi told her suddenly. Sakura started to become wide awake. If her brain hadn't been fully concentrating before because of the bad breakup, this new information definitely caught her attention.

"Why…?"

"Because like you, everyone wants this problem to dissolve," said Kisuke.

"But how?"

"Although you have gained your Shinigami powers, you haven't fully completed it yet. Am I right, Sakura-san?" Kisuke inquired further. It was true. Sakura knew she had not perfected her powers as a Shinigami yet. While she could be considered a Shinigami, the powers and strength she currently had right now were just a fraction of her actual capabilities. She created strong slash of winds using Hikari no Tsubasa. But above four swings of her Zanpakutou to initialize those winds, she could be as good as dead.

Sakura nodded slowly, acknowledging the limitation of her powers. Yoruichi then said, "We believe, if you fully completed your Shinigami powers, you might uncover the hidden power which Aizawa Ryo had given you."

"I know that…"

"So why not we help you, Sakura-san…" Kisuke said.

"Even if it means for you to achieve Bankai," Yoruichi told Sakura who was then taken aback by the word 'Bankai'.

"Are you serious…? I thought only Captains of the Gotei thirteen have Bankai…"

"Are you saying you don't want to have that kind of ability?" Kisuke asked her with his hidden brows raised. Sakura bit her lip. _'What am I saying? Hell yes I want!'_

"I would love to. But from what I learned, you must have at least ten years of experience and training in order to attain Bankai effectively. I don't have that much time, Kisuke-san, Yoruichi-san."

Upon hearing that, Yoruichi smirked and Kisuke scoffed lightly. Sakura raised an eyebrow at their reaction. Yoruichi leaned in closer and told Sakura, "For your information, Urahara and Kurosaki Ichigo only took three days to achieve Bankai."

Sakura was highly surprised at the mention of Kurosaki Ichigo. And Bankai. Within three days. She did learn about him being a substitute Shinigami while in actuality he was just a human being living here in Karakura town, but she never knew that he had attained Bankai until now.

Kisuke later on explained about his invention that had enabled them to achieve Bankai in three days. He suggested that Sakura to perfect her Shinigami powers first, get rid of her power limitations before she entered the arduous Bankai training.

"You may train here at my place, Sakura-san. I'm sure you're already familiar with the underground training area below my shop," Kisuke said.

"Take your time. But at the same time, do not abandon your duties in Soul Society or else punishment awaits you. After you successfully completed your powers, I will bring you to the hidden training grounds somewhere within Soul Society to start your Bankai training," told Yoruichi.

Sakura tightened her grip on the hem of her shirt. A wave of determination hit her all of the sudden and she was very excited yet nervous at the thought of it all. She looked from Yoruichi to Kisuke then back to Yoruichi.

"Let's do this," Sakura said. And then she added, "For the first stage of the training, I would like to bring someone with me."

**End of flashback.**

And that was how Sakura ended up at Sai's doorstep four days ago.

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society**

"Come in," Toushiro said, his eyes not leaving his paperwork. Rangiku then entered the office carrying a pile of papers. Toushiro sighed. Deep down, he had hoped it was Sakura and he hated it. He was supposed to get over her. He swore he should not think about her anymore. Toushiro motioned for Rangiku to place the papers on an empty space at the corner of his already messy table.

"Ohh man~ Poor taichou has a lot of work today!" Rangiku faked being exhausted when in reality, she had been slacking again.

"Matsumoto, quit slacking and start helping me with this paperwork. And stop being around Haruno a lot. I swear, your laziness is contagious. I noticed Haruno has been procrastinating as well," Toushiro said. Rangiku's playful expression instantly changed. She frowned at her Captain.

"Taichou… Sakura is not playing around. She's training you know."

This caught Toushiro's attention. They had returned to Soul Society a few days ago and at first, Sakura had been as usual, helping him out at the office though they had been silent all the time. For her to disappear all of the sudden was quite weird to him. Toushiro did not believe Sakura to be the kind to dwell on their problem for a long time and he knew that she was strong, as long as her goals stayed intact. However, also in the past few days he never did see her in the training grounds of the Shinigami academy where she usually trained at.

"Where exactly is she training at?"

"In the living world, taichou. Oh… So you didn't know."

Toushiro leaned back in his seat. He wondered how upset Sakura was.

"She didn't tell me."

X

**Urahara's secret training ground, Karakura Town, Living World**

Sakura and Sai stood ten feet away from each other. It was just past twelve noon and Sakura had just fulfilled Sai's wish to tour around the town for the first time. He had been extremely curious about this world when he first came here three days ago. So no doubt he was mesmerized at the contrast between this world and the Shinobi world.

"Let's start today's training, Sai," Sakura requested. She tightened her black gloves and made a fist. For the past three days, she didn't train as a Shinigami but as a kunoichi instead. She believed that improving her combat skills might help her while fighting as a Shinigami. So for now, she wanted to train comfortably and that meant that she should be in her normal form first.

"Before we start, Sakura, can I ask a question?" Sai asked. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"What is it?"

"Why did you choose me to train you?"

Sakura eased her expression and sighed. "I believe you're the right person to train me in this area since you're an ANBU. And… You're the only person who can take me seriously, Sai. You've been honest with me all the time."

The pink-haired kunoichi continued, "Kakashi-sensei… I doubt he would want to leave Konoha for this. He's got a lot of work going on and besides… He's busy behind that perverted book of his. I doubt Naruto would want to fight me to the fullest. Tsunade-shishou… definitely a no no. How can I kidnap a Hokage to train me here? As for Ino and the rest… I don't want to bother them."

"So it's okay to bother me instead?"

"I did ask you more than once if you're willing."

Sai smirked and pulled out a scroll. "Right. Let's begin."

X

Later that night, Sakura just finished showering after her long sparring session with Sai. Sakura came out of the one and only bathroom of the Urahara shop only in her white bathrobe. As she walked towards her room along the hallway while drying her hair with a towel, she went past the veranda and spotted Sai, whose back was to her. Sakura stopped in her tracks and walked out of the opened wooden doors to the veranda.

"Sai?" Sakura called out to him. Sai was startled and immediately broke his gaze from the stars. A towel was draped around his neck. He had been in the shower before her.

"Oh, Sakura..."

Sakura sat beside him and noticed his drawing book on his lap. It was opened to the middle pages and she recognized the book as soon as she saw the drawing of Sai himself and his brother.

"Were you thinking about your brother?" Sakura asked, trying to be careful in approaching a sensitive subject. Sai didn't answer immediately instead he looked at the drawing.

"The training grounds below this shop… It reminds me about the time I was ordered to fight my brother until one of us died. It was a long time ago. It pained me that we had to kill each other. Isn't it painful to hurt the one you really care and love?"

Sakura's heart clenched at the tone of his voice. She had never seen Sai saddened before and for the first time, she felt sympathized with him. She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"I'm sure your brother would be very happy to see this drawing you made, Sai. I'm sure of it."

Sai made a small smile. Sakura was delighted to know that it wasn't a fake smile. She grinned. Sai turned to look at her and his heart skipped a beat at the sight of her smile. He looked into her green eyes with a sudden serious expression which made Sakura look away. She was taken aback.

"Sai, what-"

"Naruto likes you very much."

"I'm aware that he has a crush on me."

"Even though he is aware that you love Uchiha Sasuke-kun, Naruto still cares and loves you."

"…"

"Are you going to return his feelings, Sakura?"

"I love him as a friend, Sai. Not more than that. Why are you being weird all of the sudden?"

"Sakura, I think… I have feelings for you."

Sakura dropped her hand from Sai's shoulder, her jaw agape.

X

**Konohagakure, Shinobi World**

The hot springs were empty tonight. Kakashi put his arms behind his head and closed his eyes, enjoying the hot water on his bare skin. This was quite relaxing, especially when you were there alone. And then he heard the sliding wooden door creaked open. And Kakashi sighed without opening his eye. A visitor. Oh well.

"Unbelievable. Even here you still have that mask on."

Startled at the familiar voice, Kakashi opened his one eye and looked at the newcomer. It was a black cat with its piercing yellow eyes.

"Yoruichi, what are you doing here?" Kakashi asked casually.

"I was looking for you. Hmm, the water looks very tempting indeed," Yoruichi said. All of the sudden, her eyes glowed before she shapeshifted into her human form. The woman wasted no time in getting into the water and took a spot beside Kakashi. The grey-haired ninja had gotten used to her shapeshifting in front of him.

"You are aware that the female area is just on the other side, right?" Kakashi asked.

"Here is fine," Yoruichi smirked. Kakashi kept his eye fixed on hers.

"Why were you looking for me, Yoruichi?"

"As usual, to give updated news about your student."

"How is she?"

"Sakura is undergoing a new kind of training under my supervision."

"What kind of training?"

"The kind that will bring out the hidden powers from within her in a short period of time."

"How intense is it? Did she agree to this?"

"A colleague of mine suggested this to her and she readily accepted it. Though she did request to bring a comrade with her. I think his name is Sai."

"…Oh really? Any particular reason why she would bring him along, if you happen to know?" Kakashi was quite surprised and wondered how much closer they have gotten ever since Sai was assigned to be a part of Team 7.

Yoruichi tapped a finger to her cheek thoughtfully. "She said something about wanting to improve her fighting techniques."

"That girl… With that impressive and excellent control over chakra that she's been having ever since her Genin days, she could use some training based on Genjutsu."

"Why is that?"

"She's naturally a Genjutsu type. She has been a subordinate of the Hokage for two and a half years and so she inherited the hokage's powers, like the super strength and medical ninjutsu. However, I believe she will surpass the Hokage one day, given that she is naturally a Genjutsu type."

X

**Karakura Town, Living World**

She furiously stomped her way to her bedroom. Her face was blushing, though it was a mixture of anger and shyness, Sakura was actually more enraged.

"Sakura, wait up! Why are you angry?"

Sai followed her from closely behind. She ignored him. What another stupid book had he been reading? What did it say? Was it something along the lines of, 'If you find someone you're very comfortable with and they're willing to hang out with you a lot, tell them you think you have feelings for them.'? Because seriously, for Sai to declare that he had feelings for her was overly uncalled for. This man used to be emotionless. He only recently learned how to feel again. So he might just be confused.

Sakura opened the door to her room and stood still without entering. She then guiltily thought that she wasn't supposed to behave this way. She should clear things up for Sai instead. When Sai finally stopped behind her, Sakura turned around to face him.

"What did I do wrong, Sakura?"

"Sai, how sure are you about your feelings for me?" Sakura asked and then thought, _"I'm expecting 'I'm not sure, Sakura. I think I care for you a lot as a teammate. You're an important comrade like Naruto. It's nothing big.' And then we'll return to our usual selves."_

"I'm very sure of my feelings for you, Sakura."

The pink-haired kunoichi's heart raced. That, she did not expect at all. She still refused to believe it. Her hand stayed on the doorknob and she stood still, not looking at Sai. Him falling for her was the last thing she would expect or even want. The reason why she didn't choose Naruto to be her training buddy was because he loved her. And she doubt Naruto would want to attack her even if it was just for training.

"Good night, Sai. Be at the usual training grounds tomorrow at ten o'clock sharp."

Sakura quickly entered her room and closed the door shut, leaving a dumbstruck Sai staring at the door.

X

**The next morning.**

"Damn it!"

An ink lion was coming closer to her at a dashing speed. Sakura didn't move but placed a foot onto the face of a wide and huge boulder behind her. When the creature was near enough, Sakura pumped chakra to her foot and flew upwards, causing the ink lion to smash into the boulder and melted. She repeated the action to another lion created by Sai. In fact, she had been doing this very same action ever since they started sparring today. She either destroyed them by hitting them with a chakra-enhanced fist or sent them crashing into a boulder.

"Damn it, Sai! Is that all you've got? Stop holding back!" Sakura shouted from a hundred metres above the ground.

Sai looked up from his scroll to her and said calmly, "I'm not."

Sakura then saw an opening. She swiftly landed in front of Sai and the artist quickly replaced his scroll and got into a fighting stance. Sakura threw several kicks and punches but all Sai did was either blocked or evaded them without landing a single attack. This really irritated Sakura. Sai then retreated to a considerably far distance and landed on a spot on a cliff face. He took out his scroll again and created more of those ink lions.

"_Not those again!"_ By now Sakura was exasperated.

_Isn't it painful to hurt the one you really care and love?_

Sakura shook her head vigorously after recalling what Sai had said the night before. No, no that was impossible, Sakura thought. There was no way that Sai could have feelings for her. He was just confused.

These distractions made Sakura lose focus on the training field and she was unaware that the ink lions were coming at her.

"Sakura!"

Sai's voice snapped her out of her reverie but it was too late. The lions came crashing down at her before Sai cancelled his jutsu and thus the ink lions vanished. Sakura slowly got up from the ground, her face and neck bruised and her right arm felt sore.

"_He's holding back."_

"Hey!" Sai called out.

"_He even stopped the animals from attacking me."_

"Are you alright?"

"_He's not attacking me seriously."_

_I'm very sure of my feelings for you, Sakura._

Sakura took out her Substitute Shinigami Badge and presented it in front of her for Sai to see. Even though he was far away, Sakura could see that Sai was looking at her curiously.

"With this, you won't be able to hold back any longer, Sai."

Sakura slammed the badge to her chest and her soul was separated from her body, wearing the Shihakusho. Sakura tightened her grip on her Zanpakutou and looked up at Sai. The artist stared back and watched her expectantly.

"_Hikari-san… Long time ago, for sixteen years, you carried something within you that could save people. The solution to the problem. The weapon to destroy the portal. The power to undo an unexpected discovery. I now bore that responsibility. Together with Hikari no Tsubasa, I will carry out this mission. My goal is to save my friends and family. And save the Shinobi world from this chaos."_

Sakura lifted her Zanpakutou upwards and wind began to circulate around her.

"Unravel the holy winds. Release, Hikari no Tsubasa!"

The intensity of the wind heightens. Strong gusts of wind flowed through the entire training field and Sai had to push more chakra to his feet to stay rooted to his spot. Sai forced an eye to open amidst the strong winds, and noticed how the blade of Sakura's Zanpakutou had increased in size but thinner and sharper. Only when the atmosphere calmed down did Sakura start running towards him. She shunpo'ed and the next thing he knew, she was right in front of him.

Sakura was about to strike him with her sword, and Sai swiftly withdrew his tip-less tanto and blocked the attack. Their weapons collided. Sai's tanto was outweighed and before Sakura could push further, Sai broke the contact and leapt into the air. He unwound a scroll and with a great speed, he expertly drew a gigantic bird that came to life. Sai hopped onto its back where he wasted no time in drawing more animals.

One ink lion descended from the bird as it continued to bring Sai higher into the sky. Sakura smirked at the sight of Sai slowly fading away.

"Damn, he hasn't even seen my powers yet and now he's avoiding my wind attacks," Sakura muttered.

The ink lion roared as it was coming down at her. Sakura swung her Zanpakutou towards the incoming creature, and the strong wind slash it created destroyed the lion at once. Sakura looked up and searched for Sai. She could only spot a small dark figure hovering in the sky. Something descended. Soon it became clear that there were three more ink lions charging down towards her. Sakura made another swing of her Zanpakutou and the resulting wind emanated upwards.

Sai concentrated on his chakra and directed one of the lions to leap in another direction. Two of the lions were destroyed by the wind while the escaped one landed on the ground and moved behind Sakura. She turned on her heels and sliced the lion across its neck.

"_Two swings left."_

Sakura looked up towards Sai and as expected, he was still very far up and wouldn't come down anytime soon now unless she made him to. Sakura extended her arms and began to read a long incantation before she casted a spell.

"Hadou number thirty-three, Soukatsui!"

A burst of blue, spiritual energy was fired at the ink bird that completely crushed it but Sai managed to jump off on time and escaped uninjured. He somersaulted and landed on a low cliff nearby before he jumped off the edge and charged towards Sakura, his tanto ready in his hands. Their swords collided once again, their arms trembled from the intensity. In the end, they both jumped a few metres back away from each other. Sakura then swung her Zanpakutou but Sai had predicted the movement earlier so he was able to leap upwards, avoiding from getting hit by the sharp and strong wind. Instead, the wind crushed a boulder in halve which had been behind Sai prior to escaping. Sai landed just two feet away from behind Sakura.

"…_One left."_

Sakura grabbed his wrist, which had aimed for her head. The quick and sudden action caused Sakura to drop her Zanpakutou. Sakura went for his stomach, but Sai's other free hand captured her attacking wrist. They stayed in that position for a while. Sai looked directly into Sakura's eyes and Sakura couldn't help but blush.

_I'm very sure of my feelings for you, Sakura._

Upon recalling that, she then realized of the possibility of it being just a test from him. Sakura knew Sai well. Come to think of it, he was very fond in testing her feelings. There had been one time ago where he tricked her into letting out her feelings about Naruto when the blonde had been training non-stop after failing to retrieve Sasuke. (A/N: SaiSaku umbrella scene in the Anime). At first Sakura didn't show how worried she was about Naruto's well-being. But after Sai had tricked her into pouring out her genuine concern for their blonde teammate, Sakura had been irritated yet amazed.

"_Right! He's not confused at all. It's all an act! HAH! Nice try, Sai. Declaring your love for me won't let my guard down so easily!"_

Sakura jumped up and with both feet, she landed a hard kick in Sai's stomach, releasing their grip on each other. Sakura grabbed her Zanpakutou and jumped nearly a hundred feet away from Sai. The artist regained his posture and took out his scroll again and began to draw. Sakura readied her Zanpakutou to attack him in the middle of his beast drawings, but then something caught her right feet. It crawled towards her left feet and entangled itself around her legs.

Sakura shrieked and saw ink snakes around her legs. To her horror, another one crept up swiftly from behind her back and crawled around her arms. She lost grip of her Zanpakutou once again right after her wrists were tightly bound together. Losing balance on her footing, she collapsed onto the ground on her rear.

"Damn it!"

Sai was still drawing. Sakura lifted her arms and chanted a spell, "Bakudou number four, Hainawa!"

The drawing was completed as soon as a yellow energy rope made its way around Sai's upper body and tied his arms tightly to his body. The battle against restraint and who got to attack first began.

X

"Ugh!"

The drawing was finished. But he could never make his creations come to life without activating his ninjutsu. And to do that, he needed his hands free. Sai struggled to break free from the energy rope but even when he mustered all his chakra and strength to rip it apart, it was to no avail.

X

Sakura gritted her teeth in anger as she tried to pry her wrists free from the snake on her arms. She glanced at her Zanpakutou on the ground beside her. If only she could grab it and make the last swing while Sai was still unable to perform his jutsu, she could win this match.

The pink-haired kunoichi closed her eyes and began to focus a lot of her energy to her hands.

X

It all happened at the same time. Sakura managed to tear the ink snakes just in time as Sai broke free from the energy rope. Without wasting any more time, Sai quickly made a handseal as Sakura hurriedly grabbed her Zanpakutou.

"Ninpo, chouju giga!"

"_Hikari no Tsubasa, let's finish everything together!"_

An ink bird emerged from Sai's scroll, carrying a line of explosive tags. Sai didn't expect Sakura to be able to break free from his ink bindings or that he hadn't expected to get tied up as well instead. So his plans prior to getting bind had backfired and now he was anticipating the outcome of this in horror.

Sakura readied her Zanpakutou to make another swing towards the bird. Suddenly, just halfway towards her, the ink birds detonated as a result of being crushed by the wild slash of wind. An explosion erupted that blew away both Sai and Sakura.

Elsewhere on the same training ground yet hundreds of metres away stood Kisuke and Yoruichi who had been witnessing the entire battle. Kisuke fixed his hat which had slightly tipped off his head due to the wind from the explosion. He then scanned the thick smoke with his eyes to trace Sakura and Sai but he saw nothing moving.

"Did they survive?" Kisuke asked casually.

"I can still feel Sakura's reiatsu though it's weak. Besides, they're comrades and I'm sure they have no intentions of killing each other," told Yoruichi.

"Sakura-san has reached her limit. She's used all four swings."

"Yeah…"

Eventually the smoke faded away. Sai and Sakura were seen on a spot a few metres away from where they had been before the explosion. They were heavily bruised by the impact. Sai tried to stand up first though with slight difficulty as his left leg was bleeding. Meanwhile, Sakura was on her knees with her head down, her hands gripping the hilt of her Zanpakutou while the tip of the blade pierced the ground.

"Seems like she's trying to force herself to stand up."

"But look how weak she is now. Guess she still have that four-swings limit."

Sai finally managed to stand upright. He brushed off some dirt on his shoulder, ignoring his injured left leg. He looked ahead at Sakura who seemed to be shaking. Sai noted that this was the first time that Sakura presented her Shinigami form after four days of their training. He was told about her four-swings limit and so was aware of the condition his teammate was facing at the moment.

"If I'm not mistaken, you have reached your limit now, Sakura."

Sakura didn't answer him. Sai turned around and started to walk away.

"I'm not done yet."

Kisuke and Yoruichi blinked. Sai's head shot up and turned to look at Sakura again.

The tone Sakura used. There was no trace of weakness in it as if the blow she received earlier was nothing to her. Sakura lifted her head and she was smirking. She stopped shaking, stood up and straightened her posture, feeling a surge of energy still lingering within her. She brought her Zanpakutou upwards, her right arm aligned diagonally across her chest.

_Whoosh._

A slash of wind sharply emitted from Hikari no Tsubasa's blade and flew rapidly towards the dumbstruck artist. Stinging pain shot across his chest and upper right arm. Sai's back was forced against a boulder which had been about ten feet behind him.

Sakura walked slowly towards him. By the time she was close enough to hear him wincing in pain, Sai positioned himself to sit on the ground and leaned back against the boulder. Sakura crouched to a sitting position and kneeled in front of him. Sai gave her a weak smile.

"I guess it worked," Sai said. This made Sakura raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"…What?"

"I knew that if I held back on purpose, it would make you mad and you'd resort to enter your Shinigami form."

"…Sai…"

"The four-swings limit… It's now crap, right?"

Sakura stiffened momentarily and became dumbfounded. She was moved at hearing those words coming from him that despite being slighty irritated, she was happy and was now on the brink of tears. Seeing the smile still lingering on his face had made her even guilty of her earlier assumptions about him. She released her Zanpakutou to the ground and moved her hands to properly place his shoulders against the rock, preventing any possibility of incorrect blood flow.

Sai's head fell onto Sakura's shoulder and he sighed. Sakura's heart raced incredibly. She did not move her hands away from his shoulders.

"Well done, Sakura," Sai whispered in her neck which sent shivers down her spine.

_I'm very sure of my feelings for you, Sakura._

The kunoichi eased her tensed shoulders and closed her eyes. Sai put his weak, uninjured left arm on her back, deepening the bittersweet embrace.

X

They were now back inside the Urahara shop. Sakura had returned to her human body and was now treating Sai's injuries. Sai's right arm was extended in front of him. Sakura's left hand glowed green and instantly repaired the tissues on his limb while her right hand supported his arm. Sai enclosed his fingers around her right hand intimately and Sakura let him.

Sakura observed his bandaged chest. Despite being a top medic-ninja in her village, she couldn't help but blush when she had been treating his bare chest earlier. It was because she kept on remembering Sai's words to her the other night.

"Sai…"

The said artist locked his gaze on the medic, prompting her to continue without uttering a word.

"I'm sorry, Sai… But I don't feel the same way as you do," Sakura said while avoiding his gaze. Somehow, deep down she found it a tad difficult to utter those words.

"I didn't expect you to return my feelings, Sakura. I am aware of your feelings for Sasuke-kun."

"You're wrong," Sakura told him confidently this time.

"…How could I be wrong?"

"It's true that I love Sasuke-kun. But it's not the same anymore. I didn't give up on him because he left me for a long time, but I came to realize that I care for him more as a comrade. He is someone whom I cherish and I wish to save from him the darkness. To bring him back to the right path is what I wish to do to help him. This time, I will not burden Naruto again. We both really want to save Sasuke-kun."

Momentary silence filled the room following Sakura's confession. Sai exhaled and looked away from Sakura.

"I see… Are you going to reciprocate Naruto's feelings?"

"Sai, I love someone else…"

By now, Sakura's hand stopped glowing and she released her grip on Sai's healed arm. The dark-haired artist stared wide-eye at Sakura, seemingly shocked after hearing that. Sai's silence allowed Sakura to continue, "It was just recently that this person and I got together. But also recently, it came to an abrupt end… I…"

Sakura wanted to continue, but she felt upset again upon recalling those times she and Toushiro had shared together. Regardless of the short period of time, the bond shared between them was the one Sakura had never experienced with other people. And it hurt her that he could have easily broken them apart. Sakura bit her lip to suppress the overflowing sadness that flooded through her.

"Is he someone you met at Soul Society, Sakura…?" Sai asked her slowly, failing to conceal the disappointment in his voice.

Sakura nodded instinctively without much thought. Sai watched her sudden blank yet sad expression. He asked further, "What happened?"

"I guess… We weren't meant to be…"

Sai knew that if he questioned further, she would be in tears. So the next ten minutes of treatment were conducted in total silence.

X

**The next day.**

Kisuke had set up and opened the gate to Soul Society in his secret underground training base. It had taken five days to achieve what Sakura had now. And it was all thanks to the dark-haired artist, who was standing in front of her and they were smiling at each other. He had assisted her in ways she could never have expected from him. She didn't know if she could have perfected her Shinigami powers without his help.

Not to forget, his confession was the least she had expected and was more surprising to her than anything. She felt sort of bad for him though deep down if it wasn't for Toushiro, she would have given a different outcome but was still unsure of it.

"Let's go now, Sai," Yoruichi said. Sai was returning to Konohagakure with Yoruichi as his escort. Sakura's time in the human world was up as well. She would return to Soul Society after seeing Sai off.

"See you, Sai," Sakura said with a grin. Sai observed her smile for a while and somehow, he was delighted to know that it wasn't a fake smile. "And thank you," Sakura added.

Sai extended a hand and immediately grabbed Sakura's. She didn't return it but let him be.

"You're welcome, Sakura. It's a pleasure meeting you again. See you," Sai said and released Sakura's hand. He then turned to Yoruichi. "Let's go."

Yoruichi and Sai turned to face the gate and was about to hop into it when Sai said again, "Are you and Kakashi-senpai seeing each other again today?"

Yoruichi stopped dead in her tracks and turned to the artist beside her. "Uh…?"

"From what I learned, you two are going out," Sai said.

Yoruichi felt heat invade her face. Sakura's jaw dropped and Kisuke raised an eyebrow.

"Ehh… Is that why you offered to escort Sai-kun back to Konoha because you actually want to go there?" Kisuke questioned in a teasing manner.

"Kakashi-sensei… And Yoruichi-san?!" Sakura was shocked as she uttered their names. She was quite unsure how to feel towards their relationship if it was real.

"_What would happen to them when I closed the portal…?"_

"Hell no! Shut up and let's just go now," Yoruichi said with her still-red face and entered the gate first ahead of Sai. The man just shrugged and followed suit.

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society**

As Sakura walked down the hallway to Toushiro's office, she greeted the other officers who she came across going down the same hallway. When she finally reached the tenth division Captain's office, she opened the door and was stunned at the sight in front of her.

Papers were everywhere. The scattered material made up the walkway from the door towards Toushiro's desk. A few seconds later, Toushiro arrived at the entrance. He was overly surprised at the sight of a Shinigami with pink hair standing in the middle of his office.

"Sa-, Haruno!"

Sakura jumped at the voice. She turned around to see Toushiro. Only then did he realize what a mess his office was.

"Wait, what the… What happened here?"

"I, I don't know. It wasn't me!" Sakura said defensively. As if on que, a snoring sound shot through their ears. Toushiro and Sakura averted their gaze towards the desk from which the sound was coming from. Both of them went on either side of the desk slowly just to find a sleeping Rangiku slumped onto the floor and against the table. A bottle of sake was found lying beside her.

"Matsumoto…" Toushiro said in between gritted teeth.

"She's drunk…" Sakura stated as she observed Rangiku's reddened cheeks. The older female then slowly opened her heavy eyes.

"Aaa~ Taichou! Sakura! Glad to see you two together again~," Rangiku mumbled, her breath smelled of sake. Toushiro sighed exasperatedly.

"Get rid of her."

Sakura proceeded to lift Rangiku onto her back and slid her arms under the blonde's legs. She then walked towards the door.

"My my~ Sakura~ You're strong. You're so tiny yet you have this monstrous strength like a giant-"

"SHANNARO!"

Sakura stopped to toss Rangiku out but Toushiro shunpo'ed to the entrance and caught the drunk female. The Captain immediately placed Rangiku outside of his office and slammed the door shut, leaving her to sleep outside alone.

"That Matsumoto… Let's clean this up, Haruno."

"Yes, taichou."

Five minutes later they were still gathering and re-organizing the papers in complete silence. There had been a few times where Toushiro stole furtive glances at his companion's hands as those fingers carefully slid and arranged the papers in stacks. How he wished he could hold those hands again…

Toushiro shook his head and mentally slapped himself. And then suddenly Sakura let out a soft giggle. Toushiro could go crazy hearing her pleasant voice again… Wait, why was she laughing? He looked up across from him to find Sakura chuckling while looking at a paper in her hand.

"Mind sharing the joke, Haruno?"

Sakura looked up at him but still couldn't stop smiling. "I don't know, Toushi-, taichou. You might not like it."

"Give it to me, Sakura."

He had gotten used to calling her by her first name that it came out naturally just now. Sakura acted like it was nothing and kept on smiling. She flipped the paper so he could see the drawing which really interested her.

Toushiro resisted the urge to snatch the paper and rip it apart. Presented before him was a sketch of mini Toushiro wearing a bunny costume.

"I'll keep this, thank you," Sakura said.

"Burn it."

"Whatever."

"That Matsumoto…"

Not long after that they continued to pick up the papers seriously again. When they finished stacking up the papers onto his desk, and the excessive ones onto the coffee table, Toushiro started doing the paperwork.

"It's getting late, taichou. Perhaps you should call it a night."

"Nevermind me. You head back first. I heard you're currently undergoing some training in the human world. How's it going?"

"I'm done with that stage of training by the way. Kisuke-san speculates that I'll reveal Aizawa Ryo-san's hidden powers that will close the portal after I'm done with the next stage of the training."

"…I see."

There was a momentary silence before Toushiro asked again, "How long will this take? Even if you do uncover those powers, you'll still need to find the origins of the portal to apply those powers to, right?"

"I believe the Shinigami Research and Development Institute are working on it?"

"True…"

Sakura then thought, _"But I will make an effort to make it all happen within two months."_

Because she didn't think she could last longer than that. Staying here with a broken heart and forcing herself to act like it was alright around him all the time were demotivating her. Besides, the sooner the chaos ended, the better it would benefit both worlds.

Sakura then looked up from the ground but then their eyes met. They looked away from each other immediately.

"I think I'll head off first. Good night, taichou."

"Good night."

And then Sakura walked towards the exit. She stopped at the door and turned around to meet his eyes again. He had been watching her retreating back.

"I… I'm going to start training again tomorrow, taichou. I'll be leaving for three days."

X

The next day at eight a.m. sharp, Yoruichi knocked on Sakura's apartment window when Sakura was feasting on her breakfast. She hurriedly placed her dish and glass in the sink and opened the window to let Yoruichi inside.

"Do you want to start today, Sakura? It's alright if you want to rest for a few days before you start. You've had a rough week."

"No, it's fine. Besides, this training will last for three days only, right?"

Yoruichi didn't speak for a while, holding a serious expression.

"Sakura… Short as it might be, this training is extremely dangerous. If you exceed three days, your body might disintegrate."

"I… Yeah Kisuke-san did warn me about it…"

"So I'll ask again… Are you ready?"

"Yeah, let's do this."

Later on, Yoruichi brought Sakura to the huge underground training area beneath Soukyoku Hill. When Sakura saw Yoruichi holding a white, man-sized doll beside her, Sakura questioned its purpose. Yoruichi then explained that it was one of Kisuke's inventions called the Tenshintai. When stabbed, it forced the materialization of the Zanpakutou's spirit so that it could be seen in the physical world.

"So as opposed to attaining Bankai, obtaining Shikai only requires you to communicate with your Zanpakutou's spirit in their inner world," Sakura said.

"Correct. However, to achieve Bankai, you must summon your Zanpakutou's spirit to our world and force them into submission. Without this device…," Yoruichi pointed to the doll before she continued, "It takes at least ten years to achieve Bankai. Urahara and Kurosaki Ichigo are the only ones so far to have used this method. Successfully."

Sakura, already in her Shinigami form, extended her arm out which was firmly holding her Zanpakutou.

"Shannaro! Here I come," Sakura said and lunged forward ar the doll. The blade pierced through the doll's chest, breaking the overall form into pieces. The whole cavern was engulfed in a white light for about three seconds before everything went back to normal. That was when Sakura felt a presence behind her. She turned around and was met with a large pair of wings made up of cherry blossom petals. Hikari no Tsubasa was standing a few feet away with her back facing Sakura. She didn't turn around to see her wielder yet.

"Hikari no Tsubasa…" Sakura started, still not failing to be mesmerized by her Zanpakutou's beauty. The spirit had her light pink hair swaying in the little wind created by her presence and nature. Her white dress danced along, despite how plain it looked it really signified her purity very well.

"You heard our conversation, right?" Yoruichi asked Hikari no Tsubasa. And then, the spirit turned her face slightly, her visible eye shot a look at Sakura and the Shinigami felt as if a bolt of electricity shot through her. Those crimson red eyes, they were as piercing as ever.

"I won't go easy on you, Sakura. Just because you're my wielder. Or just because I am a fraction of a soul belonging to Aizawa Ryo's daughter and that I have to save the current situation surrounding you all. I will not go easy on you, Sakura."

By now Hikari no Tsubasa had completely turned to face Sakura completely. A sweat tricked down the Shinigami's forehead.

"Come at me, Sakura."

X

**Konohagakure, Shinobi World.**

"Bastard… You went to the other side?"

Sai could only give one of his unsure smiles. He had just been at Ichiraku's with Naruto. Along the way to their training grounds, Naruto had brought up a topic about Sakura which eventually led the artist to tell him about his and Sakura's recent episodes in the Living world. Sai pondered for a while about Naruto and his feelings for Sakura. Although Sai was truly the same for harboring interests in the kunoichi, he kind of felt bad that Naruto didn't know about Sakura's change of feelings.

He would like to tell Naruto about Sakura had been seeing someone else. But he himself didn't know who the person was. And besides, he was sure Sakura would appreciate it if he kept it to himself for now. He knew he wasn't supposed to feel jealous of this person, but somehow he knew that he was. Guess that was how being in love really meant.

"And Sakura-chan personally asked you? Why not me? Oh man! What does she see in you anyway? Hmph," Naruto whined, thoroughly dissatisfied that Sakura had chosen Sai over himself.

Sai simply ignored the remark and told him, "Sakura is aware of your feelings for her, Naruto. You wouldn't fight her to death."

"Why would I kill her?!"

"Exactly my point."

"Bastard! Did you hurt Sakura-chan?" Naruto grabbed Sai by the collar and made a fist. Sai didn't flinch. He stared right into his comrade's eyes intently.

"She wanted my help. So I helped her. And I actually did her a favour instead of hurting her. In fact, I'm very happy to be able to do this for her."

Naruto tightened his grip on Sai's collar before he let go. He put his hands in his pockets and looked away. Still in an angry tone, he said, "What is Sakura-chan planning to do anyway…? It sounds like she's rushing something."

"Sakura wanted to complete her Shinigami powers. She's stronger now, thanks to my help on those training sessions."

"Hmph."

"I believe she's undergoing another kind of training. It's to achieve the final form of her Zanpakutou."

"Cool… I bet my girl is getting stronger everyday," Naruto said and grinned suddenly. Both of them continued their journey in silence for about a minute before Naruto asked, "When did you get back here, Sai?"

Sai counted silently for a moment before he realized the last time he met Sakura.

"Four days ago."

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society.**

"Is it here?"

Mayuri, Nemu and three seated officers from their Division squad were walking through thick shrubs extending from the beginning of the forest when they first entered it to the other side, which was now clearer in their vision. They could now see the end of the forest, showing more spacious grounds with lesser trees and more rocks.

There was even a lake flowing along the bottom of a cliff.

"We're almost there, Mayuri-sama," Nemu responded to her Captain.

"It's just by the lake," one of the seated officers spoke up.

"I don't see it!"

Now out of the forest, Mayuri scanned from right to left, from one visible end to the other of the lake but there was nothing.

"I swear if my time here is a waste, I'm going to annihilate you all," Mayuri said in a dark voice referring to the three seated officers.

"Mayuri-sama, you saw it in the computer in our lab. This is the exact location of the original portal to the Shinobi world," Nemu said.

Suddenly, arrived at the scene simultaneously were Captains Ukitake and Shunsui. They looked around before they came closer to the twelfth Division squad Captain.

"Where is it?" Shunsui asked.

"That's what I'd like to know. Our advanced and hi-tech computer never made stupid errors or miscalculations," Mayuri told him.

Ukitake rubbed his chin and thought for a while.

"It's strange but… The portal was detected not long after Haruno Sakura went unconscious."

X

Sakura opened her eyes to a sinking pain in her head. Through heavy-lidded eyes, she slowly scanned her surroundings. When the pain eventually disappeared, she opened her eyes normally and looked around her again.

Recognition hit her albeit her absence from duties in that place had been long. Forcing herself to sit upright, she winced at the slight pain in her back. She reached behind her and felt the small of her back. Although all her injuries gained during her Bankai training were healed, her back still had a lingering ache which had only started a few hours after the training was announced overtime.

Sakura was thoroughly exhausted after the three-day battle against Hikari no Tsubasa. The next twenty-four hours had been dedicated to self-recovery and isolation in her apartment. Later on, she had resumed her duties back at the tenth Division squad building when all of the sudden, she had fallen unconscious in front of Rangiku, Ukitake, Shunsui and Nanao who were there at that time.

Sakura took in her surroundings again. She was in one of the patient rooms belonging to the fourth Division squad building. The door then opened.

"Sakura-san, you're up."

"Shuuhei-san…"

The said man approached Sakura's bed before he grabbed a glass of water that had been sitting on the bedside table. He offered it to Sakura. She thanked him and chugged down the contents until it was empty.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay now. Where is Unohana-taichou?"

"She's discussing with the Captains outside at the moment. You see… I think we have located the original portal," Shuuhei told her.

Sakura widened her eyes in shock. She hastily put the empty glass back on the table and tore away the blanket from her legs. Shuuhei immediately stopped her by firmly holding her shoulders. Sakura looked up at him.

"When did this happen? How long was I out?"

"I was informed that the twelfth division squad's main radar alerted and responded to a presence somewhere in an area about half a kilometer from here. This happened just a few minutes after you went unconscious. And you've been unconscious for three hours, Sakura-san."

"Shuuhei-san, take me to that place."

"Don't be reckless, Haruno."

Shuuhei and Sakura turned to the owner of the voice at the door. To their surprise, it was Toushiro. Shuuhei had to immediately pull his hands away from Sakura and cleared his throat. He noticed how Toushiro had briefly glared at his touch on Sakura.

And then Unohana appeared at the door. She approached Sakura and asked her, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine now, Unohana-taichou. Let me go to that place."

Almost half an hour later, Sakura arrived somewhere within a forest where, as she and her comrades inched closer to the alleged portal, she got dizzier and dizzier though it was bearable. They were still running. While Sakura opted to leap from one tree branch to another, Captains Unohana, Toushiro and Ukitake travelled on the ground. Shuuhei and Rukia followed Sakura from behind.

Dark green scenery and the smell of damp leaves and barks began to leave as another view appears. They all emerged out of the forest into a deserted, rocky field. Only the clear, blue lake a few metres ahead of them could make the place seemed slightly alive.

Across the lake, there stood a cliff which could contain a three-storey building. Sakura took one step ahead of the Shinigamis and watched the cliff. She narrowed her eyes, both due to the rising headache and keen observation of her surroundings. She rested her forehead in the palm of her hand.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" Rukia asked the pink-haired Shinigami. Toushiro glanced at Sakura.

"Y-yeah… Something's not right here," Sakura replied.

"I thought so. But I'm not quite sure what it is. I have a strong feeling that Captain Mayuri's radar is positive. Something resides in this area. Also, I just remembered… Aizawa Ryo used to go here often," Ukitake told them.

And then, a smirk appeared on Sakura's face. Shuuhei noticed this and asked, "What is it, Sakura-san?"

All eyes turned to Sakura in an instant. Her eyes snapped open and she made a single handseal.

"KAI!"

The word was then followed by an invisible wave of energy, before the space between the lake and the cliff shattered. Something glowed, and its intensity rapidly increased blindingly. The light was forming a rectangular wall that spanned the height of the tall cliff.

Everyone watched through half-opened eyes at the light which eventually shaped into a gigantic arch.

"Unbelievable…" Ukitake muttered.

The light eventually ran out, revealing the arch standing against the rocky cliff. Its huge opening was pitch black that neither one of the Shinigamis was sure what of lied inside.

"In-Incredible," Shuuhei said.

"Oh my Lord…" both Unohana and Rukia said.

"How did you do that, Haruno?" questioned Toushiro as he looked back and forth from Sakura to the newly-discovered portal.

Still bewildered, Sakura remained unmoved and unspoken for a few seconds before she spoke up, "I guess Aizawa Ryo casted a Genjutsu in this area. All I did was dispelling it."

"So the portal has been here the whole time… All these years… But it couldn't be detected up until now," Ukitake said.

"I wonder… Why is that?" Unohana asked gently.

"Because only until recently did Haruno completed her Shinigami powers." All eyes turned to Toushiro. Sakura looked at him with saddened eyes and he stared back. "Your Zanpakutou's spirit, Haruno… Its slight awakening had made hollows appear in your world a few months back. Now that you seemed to have gained a huge chunk of powers, the hidden power within you must have arisen as well, triggering its other half which created the portal one hundred years ago."

Sakura then looked away from him. She remembered how Hikari no Tsubasa had appeared before their eyes for the first time in her home. Recalling a moment shared with Toushiro had never failed to tug her heart.

Shuuhei noticed Sakura's sudden somber expression. _"Are they still together?"_

"True… Both powers did belong to Aizawa Ryo. What sort of training did you go through to achieve your completed powers in a short period of time, Haruno-san?" Ukitake asked Sakura.

"I…Uh…" Sakura wasn't so sure whether she wanted to tell them that she had obtained Bankai. "That doesn't matter, I got through and here we are, in front of our solution to the problem. I'm going in!"

"Be careful. Find out where it leads to in the Shinobi World. Kuchiki, can you go with her?" Ukitake looked at Rukia who responded, "Sure."

"I'll go too," Shuuhei announced. Sakura, Rukia and Shuuhei jumped over the lake and landed in front of the opening of the portal. Toushiro's eyes lingered on Sakura's back. He hoped he could go.

"_Sakura…"_

Suddenly, realization hit him. Now that the portal was re-discovered after one hundred years, that would mean Sakura and him had to part ways soon. Sakura realized this too. Her feet suddenly felt heavy. She forced her way inside the portal.

X

A glowing light was becoming visible far ahead which they took as a sign that the dark tunnel was coming to an end. Sakura, Shuuhei and Rukia kept running on the rocky pathway in silence. When they got close enough to the exit, they jumped out.

They emerged from the arch into a forest. Sakura recognized the place instantly.

"Of all places…"

"Do you know where this is, Sakura?" Rukia asked her.

Sakura looked ahead in the forest. "If we walk straight ahead, we'll arrive at the entrance gate to Konoha village."

**Konohagakure, Shinobi World**

The Konoha eleven, minus Sakura and plus Sai, were all hanging out in a park, discussing and relaying news to each other. They were gathering underneath a tree around a picnic table that could take up to six people. The girls were seated there with Naruto, Chouji and Lee. Neji, Kiba and Shino each sat on a swing nearby, close enough for them not to be left out of the conversation. Sai opted to stand against the tree and Shikamaru was sitting on the ground against it on the opposite side, his eyes closed as he was very deep in thought.

The weather was cloudy and quite breezy. Naruto regretted to have gone out with a green t-shirt instead of his usual orange jumpsuit. At first they all opened with an easy topic, just a bit of gossiping and catching up on each other. The conversation later had drifted to a more serious one, particularly about the situation surrounding the Shinigamis and Hollows.

"Who would've thought… Things like those exist?" Tenten said.

"I still find it quite hard to believe, honestly," Shino said.

"Not to mention, it used to happen in the past for over a hundred years ago but no one remembered it. Seriously, I find it quite suspicious," told Neji.

"Heh! Killing all those hollows were such a pain in the ass. Not to mention, their arrival has always been unpredictable," Kiba spoke in annoyance.

"Sai-kun, I heard Sakura brought you there recently. So how is Soul Society like?" Ino asked the artist. This managed to pique everyone's interest in an instant.

"I didn't get to go there. Sakura only brought me to another world which is parallel to Soul Society. This world is more similar to ours except that it consisted of normal citizens and improved technology," Sai told them.

"Lucky you…" Naruto muttered under his breath, still quite disappointed that Sakura hadn't brought him instead.

Shikamaru then opened his eyes. "When will this troublesome situation be over?"

"Soon."

All eyes turned to the direction of the voice. Everyone was startled to see their friend at the entrance gate of the park.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted and got up.

"Everyone… This whole situation shall be over soon."

X

**Seireitei, Soul Society**

Two days later, the Shinigamis organized a farewell party for Sakura. Though they were also saying goodbyes to the other six Shinobis who had been here for a while now, Sakura got the most attention from Gotei 13. The Shinobis had made their own group of friends whilst they had been in the Shinigami Academy, so their friends from there were also invited.

A day before, Captain-Commander Yamamoto had gathered all Captains for another meeting post-portal discovery. Soon after that, he had assembled them all again, now with the Lieutenants, at where the portal was to witness Sakura's hidden power. As ordered, Sakura had performed a test as everyone, including herself, wanted to make sure if she could already make use of the hidden powers to close the portal.

She had extended her arms out with her Zanpakutou firmly in her grasp, and unleashed a dark blue energy that covered the entire arch as it slowly used the energy to cover its gap. According to Mayuri's observation and calculation, the arch was now about ten percent closed. And that was just after five minutes of continuous draining of that energy. Continuing to narrow the opening of the portal would only reciprocate the effect on the pathway to the other side and this would a bad move if the Shinobis wanted to go home.

Hence she must carry out the actual procedure on the other side. That was how, soon after the test, they all had suggested to bid Sakura goodbye in a proper farewell ceremony.

The real closing procedure would commence tomorrow. And this time, she had to do it on the other side instead of in Seireitei. Or else by the time the portal was gone, she would be trapped here forever.

Sakura broke out of her reverie when someone elbowed her on the arm. She looked up to see the Jounin, whose name she could recall as simply Kento, grinning down at her.

"Sakura-san, thanks to you… I'm not gonna be able to become a Shinigami or be a part of Gotei 13," he said and sighed.

"Well… Sorry I guess."

"I'm kidding. I'd rather leave this place and return to Konoha. To where my old friends are."

X

Sakura looked at the watch hanging on the wall. It's almost midnight and they're still partying.

Not long before until now, she felt as if there was a countdown. The world was counting and sending her away. In less than twenty-four hours, she would depart from Soul Society. For good.

X

A lot of Shinigamis approached her and talked to her tonight. It was funny but for once, Sakura felt as if she was the most popular Shinigami in Soul Society right now.

She didn't have to approach the ones she knew, they all approached her. Rangiku… Momo… Shuuhei… Renji… Rukia… Nanao… Ukitake… Kira… Ikkaku… Yumichika… Yachiru…

They all said it was a pleasure to have met her.

X

Sakura then remembered Ichigo, Orihima, Uryuu, Chad and Kisuke who were all residing in the Living World. Her heart sunk at the thought of not getting to see them for one last time before she left. She never got the chance to say thank you especially to Kisuke for his hospitality all the while Sakura had been staying, or freeloading, in his shop.

Sakura kept on looking around and through the crowds of the party hall.

X

"Sakura-san…"

The said girl turned around to see Shuuhei offering her a drink. Sakura took the glass of orange juice from his hand and thanked him.

"I can't believe I'm going home soon. For real. I really thought I was gonna stay here for years," Sakura said before she took a sip of her drink.

"So does everyone else," Shuuhei told her. He watched her eyes, then her lips as they were pressed to the glass while she was drinking. The girl never failed to be cute in his eyes. He then spoke again, "Everyone really appreciates you being here, Sakura-san. Without you, we would still be lost on what's going on."

"I guess it's fate, Shuuhei-san."

Shuuhei smiled at her and she smiled back. He then saw something in her emerald eyes and felt as if Sakura was not entirely happy. He had a feeling that she wasn't sad because she was saying goodbye to her friends. It was something else. Nevertheless, her sadness alone made him want to reach out and hug her.

Tell her that he had always watched her and wanted her.

But he knew that it wouldn't benefit the both of them. So he decided against it, for the countless time.

Then again, he knew that those sad emerald eyes were yearning for someone else.

X

Sakura continued to scan the area and walk around aimlessly. By now, the hall was half empty. The only ones remained were the higher ranks of Gotei 13. Eventually, Sakura gave up and sat on a couch in one corner of the hall. She bit her lips.

"_Toushiro-kun… Where are you?"_

X

No matter how many hours it had been, he was still longing for something unknown. Perhaps it was an answer which he was seeking for. Or maybe a closure. He had no clue. But Sakura… He could never have her. It was not meant to be. They were not supposed to be together in the first place.

Cold, green eyes held a strong, unbroken gaze on the huge arch standing against the rocky cliff. For the first time ever, he felt lost. In less than twenty-four hours, Sakura would be gone and never come back.

For hours ever since the farewell party started, Toushiro had been sitting on a boulder a few metres away from the arch. He was contemplating very hard and had been glaring at it as if it could spill out answers. But he knew nothing would come out of it.

This time he actually felt his heart was sinking.

X

**The Day…**

She couldn't believe it was already time to say goodbye to Soul Society. She wondered if there was another way to end the prolonged chaos without ever severing the pathway between Soul Society and the Shinobi World. If there was, perhaps it was too late. Or it wasn't supposed to be that way. Both worlds were entirely different from one another and could never co-exist. Consequently, this procedure had to be done.

It was also too late because right now, gathered around the arch were Captains and Lieutenants of Gotei 13, ready to witness the closing procedure. Even Captain-Commander Yamamoto was present. They all had to spectate this for they considered this as a crucial event. A moment where the one hundred old history should be cleansed.

Sakura was on the brink of tears. She made so many friends here that it was heartbreaking at the thought of never seeing them again. Sakura then averted her gaze to look up above the cliff where someone stood separately from the rest of the Shinigamis below there with her.

"_Especially him…"_

Toushiro watched her rooted to her spot in front of the portal. Even at this distance, he saw her watching him. He had been completely speechless ever since they all arrived here.

"Sakura…"

The said girl turned to look behind her. Rangiku came closer and pulled her in a hug. "I'm going to miss you."

When Rangiku released her, Sakura wiped a tear away from her eye. _"I have to be strong. For my village!"_

"Thank you, everyone." Sakura proceeded to express her gratitude to the Shinigamis and told them how precious the three months had been to her. Without their guide and teachings, she would have never gotten to where she was now. Later on, the other Shinobis who were also set to leave, said a few things as well. Finally, the seven of them bowed.

Now facing the pitch black opening of the arch, they were ready to depart.

"We'll all be staying here until you completed the procedure on the other side, Haruno," Captain-Commander Yamamoto told her.

"We're going to witness the disappearance of this portal and make sure it's completely gone," Ukitake said.

"Good luck, Sakura!" Rangiku shouted and then followed by a series of mumblings of the same phrase.

"Have a safe journey, you all," Rukia said, referring to the seven ninjas.

"Yes!" The seven ninjas shouted in unison. Sakura took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"_Goodbye."_

They jumped into the portal and disappeared.

Toushiro closed his eyes.

X

**Konohagakure, Shinobi World**

Present in front of the gigantic arch with its dark opening were several ninjas called by the Hokage to greet the arrival of their people from Soul Society. Naruto had brought along his comrades. Kakashi was there with Yoruichi.

"We've been waiting for almost an hour. Where is Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked worriedly.

"I'm sure they'll arrive soon, Naruto," Tsunade assured him.

"They're coming," Yoruichi announced.

A few seconds later, seven figures were seen approaching them from the inside of the portal. They were running and within a minute, they all jumped out of it.

"Everyone!" Sakura exclaimed. She was delighted to see her friends waiting for her.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto said and ran towards her.

"Sakura…" Sai smiled and went to her side.

"Oi, Sakura! Welcome back," Ino grinned widely and also rushed to her bestfriend's side.

Kakashi and Yoruichi approached Sakura as well. Yoruichi grinned at her. "I guess this is my cue."

Sakura smiled at her. "Yoruichi-san… I'm grateful for your help all this time. Send my regards to Kisuke-san, will you?"

"Will do, Sakura." Yoruichi put a hand on top of Sakura's head and patted her lightly. She then turned to Kakashi and they held a long and meaningful stare at each other. Yoruichi then pulled out a cellphone from her pocket and handed it to Kakashi.

"It's a radar. Currently it's pinpointing the presence of the portal. Observe it as Sakura carries out the closing procedure. When the portal is gone, the system will shut down," Yoruichi explained.

"I see… It's not going to just rest instead the entire system will shut down, signifying that the other world doesn't exist to us anymore," Kakashi said.

"Precisely. Now…" Yoruichi turned to look at the portal. "I'm going, Kakashi."

"Yeah… Yoruichi."

The Shihouin clan ex-princess flashed him a wide grin. Then she stepped into the portal and disappeared. Kakashi stared at it for a while before he sighed and closed his eye.

"Let's begin, Sakura," Tsunade said in the midst of the seven ninjas' reunion with their comrades.

"Yes, shishou!" Sakura responded. "Naruto…Sai…Ino… Kakashi-sensai… Please step back. I'm about to begin."

The said people took a few steps back behind Sakura, now also facing the portal. Everyone in the area became quiet and turned to observe the portal as well.

Sakura took out her Shinigami badge and pressed it to her chest. Her soulless body collapsed onto the ground, startling Sai, Ino and Naruto. Now in her Shinigami form, Sakura took out her Zanpakutou.

"Ino, please take care of my body," Shinigami Sakura requested.

"Y-yeah…" Ino managed to utter despite not being used to such situation. She crouched down and put the arm around her shoulder to support the body.

Sakura inhaled deeply. Everyone behind her watched in huge anticipation. When she was ready, she let out a long, heavy breath and extended her arms out, holding her Zanpakutou upright.

"Here goes."

**-End of Chapter 22-**

* * *

**Next Chapter: Waiting**

**A/N: Hey readers. ^^ So is the story coming to an end? ;) Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to leave a review! I may respond to them(from the previous chapter's until the next) in the Author's note of the next chapter. Have a nice day y'all!**


	23. Waiting

**From Two Different Dimensions**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.**

**Chapter 23: Waiting**

* * *

"Over here! Hey!"

Toushiro looked over his shoulder and found her waving enthusiastically at him. He raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Quick, get over here, Toushiro-kun!"

"Yeah yeah... No need to be noisy," the young Captain said as he casually turned around to walk towards Sakura. Grasses tickled his ankles until he stopped just in front of her who was sitting in a squatting position. Tousiro then sank down to her level and sighed.

"What is it?"

"Look!" Sakura pointed at something in the grass and at first, Toushiro failed to see what she was trying to show him. And then he saw something small that was moving very slowly. Not to mention, slimy.

"…A slug? All that hype over a yucky slug?" Toushiro asked in disgust. Sakura frowned at the sight of him scrunching his nose. She then averted her eyes back to the slug, which was about the size of her thumb. It was moving away from her leaving some slime trails behind.

"It's cute."

"Sakura… How in the world can you call a tiny, sticky, legless creature…Cute?!"

Sakura then smirked at the idea of teasing him. Swiftly, she snatched the slug with her thumb and index finger and brought it close to Toushiro's face. The surprise caused him to fall back on his rear.

"Urgh. Get that thing away. Seriously, Sakura you really are something."

Sakura stuck out her tongue at him momentarily before putting the slug back onto the grassy ground. She then shifted to sit beside Toushiro.

"Back at home, slugs are my acquaintances," Sakura told him which caused him to raise an eyebrow again.

"Are they your pets?"

"No, silly. They are creatures that my master would, and only my master could, summon during battles."

"Cool. Do you possess that ability as well? Since you're her student."

Sakura smiled and looked up into the clear, cloudless sky. "Well…"

"Do you?" Toushiro pressed.

"Would you like to meet Katsuyu? I wonder if it is possible to summon her from here… This place is huge so it should be safe for her to appear," Sakura wondered and looked around the huge field they were currently hanging out at. She instantly felt curious if a summoning technique could work in a place far away from the Shinobi world.

Toushiro pondered for a moment and grimaced at the possible meaningless encounter with a gargantuan, slimy slug. So he told her, "Maybe next time."

Sakura pursed her lips in slight disappointment. Toushiro noticed it and chuckled.

"Hey, it'd be cool to see another one of your unique Shinobi skills, but I prefer it if it would be just the two of us at the moment… Here in this magnificent place."

Sakura's expression lit up. "Yeah, you're right."

The land was green and white daffodils were all over the place. Their scent filled the cool air and Sakura truly loved the sight of the place. Sakura plucked one of the daffodils and brought it closer to her face. Toushiro observed her staring at the flower before she spoke, "I have always preferred daffodils over any other flowers".

"Why is that?" Toushiro asked.

"I really like them… They're persistent flowers that show their beautiful faces… even in the blaze of the winter... patiently waiting for a reprieve without bowing to the monstrous savagery," Sakura explained without looking away from the daffodil. Then as if she just realized something, she turned to look at Toushiro in the eyes.

"Come to think of it… Isn't daffodil the insignia of the tenth Division squad?" Sakura asked Toushiro eargerly. The captain kept their eyes locked for a while before answering.

"Yes. Yes it is."

A blush started to make its way to Sakura's face from the intensifying gaze. Toushiro inched his face closer to hers and then slowly and gently, he pressed his lips to hers. He gently bit her lower lip which made Sakura to part her lips for him. She gave a squeak at the sudden strong grip around her waist. Toushiro had encircled his arms around her. He then swung her body to his and brought them down to the ground, with her on top of him, without breaking the kiss. Sakura's blushed intensified at how her chest was forcibly pressed to his. She tried to break away but Toushiro brought one hand up to her head and pressed her down to deepen the kiss.

"Mmm-mf!" Sakura tried to blurt out but Toushiro wouldn't let her. Despite how hot his face had gotten at the closeness of their bodies, he had no intention of breaking the kiss just yet. They broke the kiss afterwards for air.

"T-taichou…"

Toushiro smirked at the sight of Sakura's flushed face. His hand moved to the hem of her shirt before he came into contact with the skin on her back. The touch made her shivered. Toushiro kissed her again, this time more eagerly. He nibbled her lower lip while caressing her back, receiving a moan from her. This urged Toushiro to deepen the kiss, earning another moan from her when his tongue flicked into hers, and they explored each other's mouth.

They made out for another five minutes before they broke the kiss, her lips just hovering above his. Sakura smiled softly and stared deep into Toushiro's eyes. Her heartbeat was still racing.

"I love you, Toushiro-kun."

Toushiro smirked. He removed his hand from under her shirt and brought his hands up to cup her face.

"I love you too." He then pulled her face to his for another passionate kiss.

**X**

Sakura came back to reality when she opened her eyes, the scary portal now in her vision. The memory brought her to think about him again. Toushiro was just on the other end of this portal, and she envisioned him standing in front of it like she was right now, reaching out to her.

Though, it was unlikely.

Dark blue energy continuously emitted from her body, rose up to her Zanpakutou which was within her grasp and flowed out to cover the gigantic face of the portal. The procedure felt like an eternity to her and her arms were starting to get sore from holding up the Zanpakutou for too long. More sweat trickled down her forehead at the heat of the atmosphere.

"How long has it been?" Ino asked without breaking her gaze from the portal.

"It's been twenty minutes," Kakashi answered. And then he narrowed his one eye when he realized something about the portal.

"Is it me, or the pace at which the gap decreases in size had considerably dropped over the last few minutes or so?" Sai said aloud.

"I guess you noticed it too," Kakashi said.

"What's wrong now? I could've sworn closing it had seemed easier and faster at first. Sakura-chan, are you okay?!" Naruto shouted out of concern for his pink-haired teammate.

The rest of the villagers watched her worriedly. Sakura looked over her shoulder to everyone and managed to half-smile. "I'm fine! Don't worry."

She was beginning to feel tired, but if anything, she was confident that the closing procedure would be completed. _"I guess it's time for the first release."_

"Unravel the holy winds. Release, Hikari no Tsubasa!"

Bursts of wind arose from Sakura's where Sakura was standing, startling the people behind her. Kakashi, Naruto, Sai and Ino, who were in a closer proximity to Sakura compared to the rest of the villagers, had to pump chakra to their feet in order not to be pushed back by the strong wind.

Naruto removed his arms away from his face to see what just happened. Sakura's Zanpakutou changed its form. The blade was now bigger, thinner and sharper. Consequently, the dark blue energy was now vast compared to before.

"Whoa, what just happened?" Naruto asked, amazed at the scene in front of him. Sai, already recognized Sakura's Shinigamis ability by now, answered, "That is the first form of her Zanpakutou. This is what I had witnessed in the battle between the two of us a few days ago."

"This is just the first form? It already looks amazing to me," Ino said as soon as she opened her eyes just when the strong winds were starting to drift away. Sighs of amazement were heard in the crowd. They eventually noticed that the pace at which the portal was closing had now increased.

"The gap is narrowing faster again. I don't know why but… Something doesn't feel right," Shikamaru said, only loud enough for a few people around him to hear.

"What is it, Shikamaru? What do you think can go wrong?" Chouji asked him, now feeling a bit worried about the situation. Shikamaru bit his lip in hesitation. "That's what I am unsure of…"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes as she observed the portal more intently now. The opening which had been nearly as tall as the Hokage mansion was now half the size of the Konogakure gate. It had been a good progress. But not long after Sakura entered Shikai mode, Tsunade couldn't help the bad feeling she sensed coming up out of the blue just now.

"Go! You can do it, Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted encouragingly. Unaware of other people's change of notion.

"Something's not right," Kakashi blurted out finally, prompting shocked faces from Naruto, Ino and Sai. The Jounin observed the cell phone in his hand, which Yoruichi had given him earlier before she left to where she belonged. He noticed that nothing unusual was going on as displayed by the radar. But he suddenly sensed something wasn't right.

Though Sakura couldn't make of what she had heard in the crowds, she was able to catch Kakashi's words over the piercing sounds of the portal.

"_What are they blabbering about? This will end soon!"_

Sakura closed her eyes once more in concentration.

'_The narrower the portal gets, the more energy is needed in order to shut it close. This is because the actual entrance is in the middle of it, and in order to destroy it, Sakura… You are required to use your full power… And slice the portal using your Zanpakutou.'_

'_How do you know this, Yoruichi-san?'_

'_Just a guess.' _

'_Huh!?'_

_A chuckle emitted from the purple-haired female. 'Nah, I'm just quoting what Urahara said to me. He wanted me to tell you this.'_

'…_Right.'_

_Yoruichi leaned in closer to Sakura. 'You know how he is, right, Sakura? You can trust him on this.'_

Sakura snapped her eyes open and noted how the gap was getting smaller now. The portal was now circular, about a meter radius, floating nine meters above her.

"I can't believe it. It's closing!" One person in the crowds shouted in joy.

"No more hollows!"

"That girl is our hero!"

Sakura bit her lip. Guilt washed over her at the realization that she was actually part of the reason why hollows had appeared in the first place. But then she shook her head vigorously.

"_I'm about to fix this! It's time."_

**X**

**Seireitei, Soul Society**

The portal which had been as tall as the ten-meter cliff had just shrunk four times its original size into a circular opening, now hovering ten feet above the cliff. Toushiro and Yoruichi, who had been standing at the top of the cliff, observed the closing of the portal silently over the past half an hour. Yoruichi was confident that Sakura would be able to do it. She had been there to witness Sakura and Hikari no Tsubasa fought to the fullest until Sakura had uncovered her hidden powers, which reinforced the theory that Sakura's power would be able to close the portal.

There was one problem though.

Not long after the discovery, and also while Sakura was still in her bankai mode, she had collapsed and gasped for air uncontrollably. The shocking end result of the bankai training had left Yoruichi struggling for help. But then Hikari no Tsubasa had said, in her usual yet astonishing calm manner, "Her heart is in turmoil. These powers are vital in getting rid of the gateway to another dimension. These powers run in her veins… But Sakura's fighting for something else… Deep down, her heart-"

"Enough! Hikari no Tsubasa, that's enough."

"…Her heart desires to be with the one she doesn't want to leave."

"God damn it!"

Sakura had shouted those words through gritted teeth, showing complete displeasure of the pain she was experiencing. Utterly shocked, Yoruichi hadn't expected to find out that piece of information about her. So in the next few minutes when the pain had left Sakura, Yoruichi had lightly but urgently urged the younger female to reveal her problems that could possibly hinder everything.

Yoruichi got out of her reverie and looked away from the portal to stare at Toushiro's back and observed him.

"Why aren't you down there, with the rest of the Captains?" Yoruichi suddenly spoke which startled Toushiro who hadn't broken his gaze from the shrinking portal.

"I don't find any reason why I shouldn't be anywhere I want," Toushiro said casually. Yoruichi noticed the slight strain in his voice as if he was angry. She averted her gaze to the bottom of the cliff, where the rest of the Gotei 13 was.

Yoruichi sighed. "Sakura… Her heart was in turmoil. I'm afraid it still is. I just hope it won't affect her so badly while she's closing the portal."

Toushiro felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck through his head. As if Toushiro wasn't stiff already, Yoruichi noticed how his body seemed to freeze all of the sudden. She had meant to say those words as if she was informing him rather than faintly accusing him. But then again, Toushiro was bound to be affected by it regardless of being accused or not. Yoruichi made a move to shunpo down the cliff, but her eyes jerked back up to the portal, sensing something bad was coming.

**X**

**Outskirts of Konohagakure, Shinobi World**

Despite how the situation had lightened up due to the joyous cheers of the villagers, Kakashi could only feel uneasiness in the atmosphere. He turned his head slightly to look at the rest of the people in the 'closing ceremony'. Surely enough, a very few number of Shinobis held a concerned expression on their faces as opposed to the rest of them who were unaware.

Now overwhelmed by the pressure from Tsunade's bad expression, Hinata turned to look at Neji who was beside her. Neji in turn looked back at her and they stared at each other momentarily, understanding the message that both were sending to each other. Suddenly, they made a hand seal.

"Byakugan!"

Both of the Hyuugas activated their bloodline limit and watched the portal more closely now than ever.

"That… That is…!" Neji exclaimed suddenly, earning the attention from the people around him. Hinata gasped, her hands trembled at the odd appearance in her vision.

Meanwhile, Sakura was ready to end everything. She held up her Zanpakutou higher, in a manner that will enable her to slice the portal.

'_I love you, Toushiro-kun.'_

'_I love you too.'_

A tear slowly made its way down her cheek.

"_Sayonara, Toushiro-kun." _Sakura brought her arms higher over her head and ready to strike down the portal with her Zanpakutou.

"BAN…KA-"

"SAKURA! GET AWAY FROM THERE!"

It all happened too fast. Over all the noises, she couldn't figure out whose voice had shouted for her to get away. Her vision blackened, followed by a tremendous pressure around her body, squeezing her so hard that she couldn't breathe. The next thing she knew, she was floating and the noise surrounding her had died down.

**X**

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

Naruto and Ino lunged forward towards the portal, from which an enormous, dark grey arm protruded. Its palm and fingers with long claws had wrapped itself around Sakura's entire body, dragging her slowly towards the inside of the portal. The rest of the villagers were now screaming. Some had run back towards the Konohagakure gate to escape the scene.

Equally shocked, Sai began to run towards the portal, catching up with Naruto and Ino.

"Naruto!" Kakashi yelled and followed suit.

Hinata took a step forward and held out her hand in their direction. "Naruto-kun!"

"Ino! Stop!" Shikamaru called out to his teammate. Chouji made a move to run after Ino, but Shikamaru grabbed his arm.

"No, Chouji. Look."

Everyone turned to focus on the giant arm coming from the portal. Sakura was getting sucked inside and then she was gone. The portal was getting dangerously narrower. Naruto, Ino, Sai and Kakashi however didn't stop running.

"Sakura-chan!"

"Sakura!"

With chakra pumped to their feet, they held their breath at the anticipation of entering into the dark world inside the portal. One jump was enough to make them soar ten meters up the ground, before one by one disappeared into the shrinking hole.

As soon as the last person entered, the dark gap in the sky was gone. The area where the portal originally rested then shattered into tiny, sparkling pieces of glass scattering in the air. The scattered glasses flew upwards before splitting and flying off into different directions in the sky.

Immensely stunned over the turn of events, Tsunade couldn't comprehend what just happened. But there was one thing that she knew and was sure of.

The door to the other world was now broken.

**X**

**Seireitei, Soul Society**

Frightening and deafening sound erupted from the portal, which had halted in its closing over the last five minutes. All eyes of the Shinigami shot up towards the portal in dire curiosity.

"What in the world is going on?!" Captain Commander Yamamoto yelled from below the cliff, his heated gaze lingered on the portal. Yoruichi was rooted to her spot just as Toushiro was on the cliff.

"W-what could've gone wrong?" Yoruichi managed to utter despite being overwhelmed at the weird and boisterous sound continuously coming out of the portal.

Toushiro tightened his fists as soon as he sensed a familiar reiatsu approaching. The closer it got, the clearer it was to him that the reiatsu was getting disturbingly weaker.

All of a sudden, something shot out of the portal. It took several seconds to process that that something was indeed someone. A Shinigami wearing a shihakusho with a familiar pink head flew past Yoruichi and Toushiro at a rapid speed.

"Sakura!" Yoruichi cried out. It was too late to save her as she fell down the cliff, descending into the forest below. At this point, Sakura was now lost deep within the forest and her reiatsu became instantly untraceable.

Toushiro rushed towards the edge of the cliff and narrowed his eyes in search for Sakura as he scanned the forest from above. "Haruno!"

"Haruno? Was that Sakura-san?!" Shuuhei quickly averted his gaze back towards the forest.

Rangiku's eyes widened in shock. "I couldn't believe it at first. But... I sorta had a feeling that it was her when I sensed the familiar reiatsu… But it was weak."

"Something else is coming," Kenpachi said suddenly in a calm manner, followed by another deafening howl emitted from the portal. A giant arm with long claws slowly extended from the portal. Yoruichi and Toushiro got into a fighting stance as the monster slowly descended onto the cliff. Surely enough, it was a giant hollow that had a hole on its stomach. The hollow was dark grey and blue. It had four arms, the claws on all hands were red and about twenty-inch long. Its body was covered in fur from waist down, including the tail on its back that looked like it weighed the same as the rest of its body. The hollow's face was covered in a full mask.

"That is not a regular hollow," Shunsui said, eyeing the scene above him on the tall cliff. "That's an Adjuchas."

"Where is… the girl?!" the hollow questioned, half yelling. Toushiro gritted his teeth in fury. He drew out his Zanpakutou, ready to strike down the hollow. Yoruichi was getting ready to attack. But then she sensed a familiar spiritual power looming closer and closer from the inside of the portal.

"Raikiri!"

And then she saw the Jounin-ranked Shinobi, whom she recognized so well and then unexpectedly felt her heart skipped a beat, rising in the sky with a massive blue lightning chakra on his hand. Kakashi flew down towards the Adjuchas to strike it down with the jutsu. With only a few inches away from the Adjuchas, Kakashi widened his eyes at the prediction triggered by the Sharingan in his left eye. The Adjuchas then disappeared, forcing Kakashi to land, already well-prepared by the move, onto the ground.

The Adjuchas re-appeared behind him. Its tail made a swing to attack Kakashi but then Yoruichi speedily came around and kicked the enormous tail away from Kakashi.

"What the hell happened, Kakashi?" Yoruichi asked him.

"Sakura was interrupted unexpectedly during the closing procedure. Where is this? Is this Soul Society?" Kakshi looked around momentarily before his head shot up to the portal, expecting the others to have come out by now. Just then, the companions he had whilst on the journey through the gate, emerged. Naruto, Sai and Ino somersaulted in the air before landing on a spot on the cliff.

"Where is Sakura-chan?!" Naruto demanded and looked right and left in search of Sakura. Toushiro's immediate response was to shunpo down the cliff without uttering a word. His form flashed several times before he disappeared into the forest. Shuuhei, Renji, Rukia and Rangiku followed suit into the forest. For a moment, Ino and Sai were perplexed by the atmosphere and the surroundings in the foreign world they just entered. But they quickly reacted into a fighting stance when the Adjuchas made a howl.

"Sakura was tossed into the forest. It's difficult to know her exact location when her reiatsu just died down," Yoruichi told Naruto. The Uzumaki shoved a finger in the direction of the Adjuchas and said through gritted teeth, "That bastard did this!"

After noting down that Sakura was somewhere in the forest, Sai decided to locate her aerially. Swiftly, he took out his scroll and drew a hawk before performing a hand seal.

"Ninpo, chouju giga!"

Once the hawk appeared, Sai hopped onto it. "Naruto? Ino-san?"

Ino immediately ran towards the hawk and grabbed Sai's outreached hand to help her ascend onto the animal. Naruto looked at Kakashi and then to Yoruichi. Both of them were getting ready for another attack from the Adjuchas.

"Kakashi-sensei."

"We'll handle this, Naruto. Go and find Sakura," Kakashi told his student. Naruto nodded his head. He moved towards Sai's ink hawk. The Adjuchas pointed a finger outwards, and fired a large cero. The move forced Kakashi and Yoruichi to leave a gap in between them, and the cero flew towards the direction of Naruto.

"Shit." Naruto stopped to jump to the left, avoiding the cero entirely. His body then dropped to the ground due to the hasty move. The impact the cero had caused to the ground forced Sai to instruct the ink bird to fly upwards.

"Sai, just go and find Sakura-chan! I'll catch up!" Naruto said. Sai nodded and proceeded to direct the hawk towards the forest.

"Oh no you don't!" The Adjuchas said while moving past Kakashi and Yoruichi at an amazing speed despite its giant stature. Kakashi and Yoruichi were faster to catch up with the monster. The Adjuchas fired another cero towards Sai and Ino before Yoruichi landed a kick in its chest, sending it a few metres upwards into the sky. Kakashi appeared above it and attacked it using Raikiri.

"Sai-kun!" Ino screeched as she grabbed the artist's upper arm in fear of the oncoming cero. Sai unable to process what could be done to avoid it, wrapped an arm around Ino's head and made them duck for cover.

"Snap, Tobiume!" Momo released her shikai, the blade of her Zanpakutou then immediately discharge exploding fireballs in the direction of the cero. The clash caused Sai's ink hawk to shake violently, making Ino to loosen her grasp onto it. Ino fell off the bird towards the ground below the cliff where the rest of the Shinigamis were.

"She's falling this way. Quick, Yumichika! Grab her!" Ikkaku told the Shinigami beside him.

"Aarrrhhh!" Yumichika had no other options than to quickly and hesitantly extend out his arms because Ino was falling straight in his direction. Ino landed into Yumichika's outstretched arms, but the sudden contact had caused him to fall on his rear.

"Woman, why are you heavy?"

"You jerk!" Ino slapped him across the face before hopping off of him and ran towards the forest. Yumichika fainted on the ground. Ikkaku shook his head. "You two never got along well. Right from the start."

By now, Sai's ink hawk had landed onto the land. He jumped off and descended onto the ground. Momo saw him. "Sai-kun!"

"Momo-san, thank you for saving us earlier," Sai said over his shoulder before he turned to follow Ino inside the forest. Momo then followed suit.

**X**

"I think I found her!" Rangiku yelled. Shuuhei instantly look in the direction of where Rangiku was pointing at. After going through the heavy shrubs, crossing muddy lakes and slicing low tree branches that would block their way, they had arrived to an area of the forest where the number of trees had decreased. The sunlight, however dim it was in the current weather, was now clearer than before.

Underneath the pile of crushed boulders, a pair of legs wearing the shihakusho was seen lying still while the upper part of the body was covered by the piles of rocks and broken tree branches.

"Oh no… Sakura-san!" Shuuhei rushed to the site followed by Rangiku. They hurriedly tossed and got rid of all the heaps surrounding their pink-haired comrade. Once everything was cleared, the view which had lied underneath shocked both Shinigamis. There lying unconscious on the ground, her body totally numb and immobilized with a huge pile of blood oozing down her head, was none other than Haruno Sakura.

"Sakura!" Rangiku exclaimed in horror.

"Sakura-san!" Shuuhei crouched down and brought Sakura into his arms. He touched her face sorrowfully. "Oi! Sakura-san… Wake up! Hey!"

Rangiku felt a tug at her heart. She had seen so many miserable faces before, the dying expressions of soldiers in wars. She had seen all those with her own eyes up close. But to see that on Sakura was an entirely different thing. Her pale and dry lips. Her loose hair. Numb and fragile hand on the ground. Lifeless body. To think that this was the Sakura she had known all this time. The Sakura whom she adored so much.

"Sakura-chan!"

A huge ink hawk descended onto the ground a few feet away from the scene. Naruto, Sai, Ino and Momo hopped off the bird and landed onto the ground after Sai cancelled his jutsu. The four of them stood horrified at the sight in front of them. Ino's legs trembled, and then she collapsed on her knees. "S-Sakura…"

"Sakura… No," Sai managed to utter despite the huge wave of shock that washed over him. Momo's body was shaking. She couldn't find herself to utter a single word at the situation.

"Wake up, Sakura-san… Please!" Shuuhei bent his body more now so he was hugging Sakura much closer than ever. "She's not breathing!"

Everything came to a standstill for a while, with everyone mourning silently for their friend. An abrupt sound of a snapping twig made everyone looked in the direction of the forest. There stood Hitsugaya Toushiro, with an expression everyone came to acknowledge, the biggest thunderstruck anyone couldn't have had at the moment.

**X**

**Gotei 13 Meeting Hall**

"So what are we gonna do about these unexpected newcomers?" Soi Fon questioned.

"From the brief investigation session we had with them earlier, they meant no harm. So I think it will be alright if we let them stay until we find a solution. Right, Captain Commander?" Shunsui turned to look at Captain Commander Yamamoto whose response was only a brief and questionable "hmm…"

"Seriously… None of us had predicted this outcome. I knew closing the portal to the other dimension in this short amount of time was too good to be true," Unohana said.

Captain Commander Yamamoto shot a sideways glance at her. "Seven hours have passed since Haruno Sakura was knocked out. Tell us of her condition now, Captain Unohana Retsu."

The 4th Division squad Captain closed her eyes in silent grief. "Everyone in the squad has done all they could to stabilize her. Unfortunately, she has fallen into a comatose state."

"That is really unfortunate," Ukitake stated before he mumbled under his breath, "Poor Haruno-san…"

Captain Commander Yamamoto caught Mayuri looking at him. Mayuri's expression told him that he was actually waiting for the most crucial question to be shot at him.

"What can you deduce of the portal? Right after that provoking, second-class menos escaped into the shrinking portal, the hole went entirely non-existent. The space from which the portal had appeared then had shattered like glasses. One would think that the gate to the other dimension has disappeared," the Captain-Commander said.

Mayuri replied, "Well, one thing is definite. The portal no longer exists in the same place we came to earlier. Our radar does not detect it anymore. It is possible that those Shinobis are trapped here forever. They can be a set of very interesting test subjects." The twelfth Division Captain then gave out a long chuckle, to which Captain-Commander Yamamoto grunted in disapproval.

"Please look more into it," he requested and thus concluded the meeting.

**X**

Two days later, Sakura was still unconscious and treated under the care of Captain Unohana in the 4th Division squad building. The unfortunate incident that broke out unexpectedly during the closing procedure had made Sakura the biggest victim. The Adjuchas, which had managed to escape through the portal in the end, had tossed Sakura from a ten-meter cliff into a forest. She had been taken by surprise and was already unconscious by the time she was within the Adjuchas' grasp. So she had flown and hit through trees before crashing into a boulder that damaged her head severely.

After getting out of her horrid, Ino had mustered the strength to rush to Sakura's side and steal her from Shuuhei's arms. Medic instincts had started to kick in and she had mentally smacked herself for letting emotions got the better of her. And then Ino's hand had glowed green, a technique which everyone had recognized as something that also belonged to Sakura. The blonde had managed to stop the bleeding and recovered the broken tissue on her bestfriend's temple.

After Ino had declared that there was a chance to save Sakura's life, they all had rushed to consult Captain Unohana before she had quickly brought Sakura to the 4th Division squad building for further intensive treatment.

Now bedridden with her head bandaged, Sakura was yet to open her eyes and set everyone's heart at ease again. Naruto, Sai and Ino looked from the sides of the bed at Sakura.

"Sakura-chan… Why aren't you awake already..?" Naruto muttered sadly. "You can't die… There's no way you'll die, right?"

Silence ensued. Every now and then they would ask questions in hopes Sakura would take them by surprise and speak along the lines of, "Shut up, I'm fine." But that never happened. Sai stared hard at Sakura's pale face. He wished he was alone with her in the room, so that he could touch her face and see the girl he just confessed to a few days ago open her eyes for him.

"There was just too much blood loss. It's even horrifying how she was already unconscious before she crashed and severed her skull. It must have had a huge impact on her head," Ino said.

Naruto exhaled a long breath before collapsing onto a chair. Sai got up from a different chair and exited the room without a word. Ino had watched him as he had gotten up until he had shut the door close behind him.

She sighed at his peculiar actions.

**X**

Ryoka was a term to describe those who were not associated with Soul Society, whether they were allies, intruders or invaders. It was one thing to have travelled to another dimension unexpectedly, but to have been labeled as something unpleasant whilst on the land they arrived to was another.

It was unpleasant because the Shinigamis had countlessly called or referred to them as Ryoka. It could either be, "Who's the Ryoka?" or "Don't forget to give accommodation to the Ryoka," or even "Feed the Ryoka. Unlike us they need food regularly."

Ryoka ryoka ryoka.

"_Goddamnit, we have a name!"_ groaned Kakashi inwardly.

"It bothers you that much, eh?" Yoruichi asked him. They had been hanging around in the training ground under the Sokyoku Hill for over hours now.

Kakashi scratched his head at Yoruichi's remark. "I guess my sudden abnormality stems from the huge concern over my student. The incident could have been easily avoided. We have skilled Shinobis witnessing the closing procedure at that time who could have detected what loomed from the inside of the portal. But everyone just reacted too late."

Yoruichi observed Kakashi's solemn face for a while as they let silence befall them. Instinctively, she placed the palm of her hand on Kakashi's masked face. Kakashi reacted to it by looking up to see her piercing yet gentle golden orbs.

"Hey… What's happened, happened. All of us were taken by surprise really. Let's just hope Sakura will be okay," Yoruichi comforted him. Kakashi touched Yoruichi's hand on his cheek.

"Yeah…"

And then a hell butterfly flew above them. Yoruichi noticed immediately and held out her right index finger to provide a platform for it to land.

"A message," Yoruichi told Kakashi before proceeding to listen to the hell butterfly in a way that only the people associated with Soul Society could know.

"Captain Mayuri…hmm…Wow…That's great," Yoruichi let the hell butterfly go after what seemed to Kakashi like she had received the message being transmitted by the creature.

Kakashi started, knowing the nature of the message and by reading Yoruichi's expression, "So are we Shinobis trapped here in Soul Society now that the portal disappeared? Or is there some good news?"

Yoruichi tapped her chin in a thoughtful manner. "Right after the Adjuchas escaped from under our noses, the portal rapidly shrunk and was gone under five seconds. Although we were unsure at first, we had thought that the portal actually disappeared for good."

"But you said it needed to be cut by Sakura's Zanpakutou," Kakashi said.

"Yeah, that's why there is still a possibility that the passageway to the Shinobi world still exists. And now Captain Mayuri had confirmed this just now."

"Thank God," Kakashi heaved a sigh of relief.

Yoruichi then stood up. "Let's go and tell the news to Naruto."

**X**

The next day, two figures from the Kido Corps were assigned to open the Senkaimon for the Shinobis to travel back to the Shinobi world. Naruto, Sai, Ino and Kakashi, who had unconscious Sakura in his arms, were on standby as the opening of the gate was carried out by the people wearing white, long face-coverings. Also present at the site were Shuuhei, Rangiku and Yoruichi who would accompany the Shinobis back safely to the Shinobi world.

Ino then looked over her shoulder to see Toushiro coming up to them. She recognized him as someone who had been around in the Shinobi world during the Shinigamis' missions and also someone she speculated to be Sakura's boyfriend. But she never did ask him or Sakura in person to confirm her suspicions. Toushiro caught Ino looking at him, and he instantly recognize her as Sakura's friend whom he encountered at the flower shop. And then he remembered the time when the two girls had been talking to each other but when Sakura had sensed his presence, she had run away leaving him and the blonde to have had a small talk.

Ino said in a low voice just above whisper to him, "You…And Sakura…?"

Toushiro then shot her a look which then followed by a brief shake of his head in objection. He told her, "If you know about it, don't say anything."

Naruto then caught his voice. "Toushiro, are you coming with us as well?"

"…No."

"Oh, okay. See you next time then."

"Taichou…" Rangiku called out to him. Toushiro made a small wave in response. "Ah. Come back safely, Matsumoto." He then studied Sakura in Kakashi's arms and noticed how frozen she looked.

Sai had been observing the young Captain and then noticed that Toushiro eyed Shuuhei in half-anger. At the corner of his eyes, Sai could see Shuuhei was equally upset with the young Captain from the way he was semi-glaring back at Toushiro. However, Sai assumed, due to their difference in rank, Shuuhei broke the eye contact first and gave Toushiro a slight bow with his head.

The artist then remembered how Shuuhei had been the one who had held onto Sakura so tight, much to Sai's displeasure, when they had found her unconscious in the forest. And then when Toushiro had appeared, his face had been so full of grief that it was impossible to conclude him as a mere friend of Sakura's. Sai then looked at Sakura's face, which was still pale.

"_Could one of these men be… the one you were talking about, Sakura? The one you hooked up with unbeknownst to everyone?"_

"The Senkaimon is ready, let's go," Yoruichi announced after a while. Everyone began to step forward except for Toushiro and Ino. The blonde moved closer to the Captain.

"I don't know what happened between you two… But I'll tell you one thing. Before she carried out the closing procedure on the portal, something on her face had said she's missing someone."

"…Just go."

And so she did, turning her back to him and heading her way into the Senkaimon while feeling very disappointed at the idea of him having hurt Sakura.

**X**

**Konohagakure, Shinobi World**

When they returned to Konoha, they rushed to the hospital where Tsunade and Shizune greeted them urgently. Sakura was immediately placed in a ward, where her original body had already been placed on the bed. Kakashi then returned Sakura to the body before the medics immediately performed further treatments on her.

Now, one week later, Sakura was still in a coma. It was half past nine in the night, the time of the day, which Toushiro had noted over the last few days, where no more visitors were likely to see Sakura. So he chose this time to see her. And this was his first time seeing her ever since her comrades brought her back from Soul Society. Toushiro looked around the room which he had managed to sneak inside. There were flowers on the table near the bed. Sakura was still as pale as ever, connected to tubes from a machine on the other side of the bed. Toushiro observed the heart machine which showed a weak pulse.

Toushiro went closer to Sakura's bed. He extended an arm out and touched her face. It was cold. He couldn't bear to see her like this. She looked so pale…and lifeless. Toushiro pulled his hand away and clutched the bed sheets.

"Sakura, I'm sorry…"

And then he heard footsteps inching closer from the outside of the room. From the sounds of it, there were two people and they were…running.

"Sakura!"

Toushiro jumped two steps back from the bed and before he could escape, the door was slammed open. Toushiro widened his eyes at the newcomers at the door. _"Oh no."_

There stood dumbstruck at the doorframe was a woman with a shoulder-length, blonder hair. Her companion was a man with a dull-pink hair which was weirdly styled into a cherry blossom shape. Toushiro was greatly startled by their unexpected arrival. He recognized them almost immediately from the picture frame hung on the wall of the entrance hallway in Sakura's home.

"Sakura… My daughter! What happened to you?!" Haruno Kizashi ran towards the bed and grabbed Sakura by the shoulders.

"Anata, stop that or you'll hurt her!" Haruno Mebuki said angrily. Her husband then loosened his grip on Sakura and wiped a tear that rolled down his cheek.

"She's cold…" Kizashi said. "I am so confused as to what has happened to her… We've heard so many stories… But we didn't know what exactly happened to our daughter."

"It's our fault. We've been away a lot and weren't there when she departed from the village and even when she would come back here on multiple occasions."

"Wow…" Somehow Toushiro had let that slip. Mebuki turned to look at the other person in the room. "And who might you be?"

Kizashi also turned to ask without waiting for Toushiro's response, "What are you doing here? Are you Sakura's friend?"

Toushiro couldn't find the words to say, leaving him to remain speechless for a while. Both of Sakura's parents raised their eyebrows, waiting for his response. Toushiro mentally smacked himself in utter disbelief in his tardy and hesitant response. He was someone who had always been calm and quick to reply to a question. Why was he so afraid when it came down to Sakura's parents?

"I…I'm Hitsugaya Toushiro. A friend…" Toushiro told them finally.

Kizashi and Mebuki's tense expression eased a bit at his reply.

"I see. We know Sakura has a lot of friends and we know them all and their parents. But we've never seen you before," Mebuki told him.

"Listen, visiting hours is almost over. Could you leave us with Sakura alone?" Kizashi requested.

"Sure, Mr. and Mrs. Haruno. I'll leave her to you," Toushiro said and moved towards the door.

"Thank you." Toushiro heard Sakura's father said as Toushiro closed the door behind him.

**X**

Toushiro didn't head straight back to Soul Society. Instead he found a spot on the hospital's rooftop to gaze at the moon in the cloudy night sky. Waiting for Sakura to wake up was torturous. He along with everybody else had no idea how long they were going to have to wait for her. Toushiro closed his eyes and thought back at his recent encounter with Sakura's parents. Sakura had never told him about her parents before, which led him to wonder how much left was there to know about her. And to think that the first time he had found out about Haruno Kizashi and Mebuki was due to a picture frame he had found in Sakura's home.

**Flashback**

Sakura's Zanpakutou spirit, Hikari no Tsubasa, had just revealed the history surrounding Aizawa Ryo that took place over a century ago. Processing too much extraordinary information, especially the ones that surrounded herself, had made Sakura felt queasy and her mind felt like it wanted to rest and shut down temporarily. So after Hikari no Tsubasa returned to the inner world, Sakura had told Toushiro that she didn't feel well.

She had told him that it wasn't merely because of the loads of information that was making her weak, but the sudden awareness about the nature of her powers that was making her body react abnormally.

It was now half past nine in the night and he had left Sakura alone in her bedroom. Toushiro was downstairs, had filled a glass with water and chugged them till it was empty. He never realized how thirsty he had been until he felt the liquid running down his throat.

He left the kitchen and randomly roamed around the house until he came across a picture frame in the hallway. He went closer to view it up close. It was a picture of Sakura standing in between two older people. Realization hit him in an instant. All this while, he had thought Sakura was living alone but it turned out her parents were still nearby. Or so he thought. But where were they?

Curious got the better of him so he travelled back upstairs to Sakura's bedroom. When he opened the door, Sakura was still on the bed but her clothes had changed. She was wearing a plain white pajama with long sleeves but her pants were extremely short, revealing her long, slender legs.

"Toushiro-kun?" Sakura said weakly as she opened her eyes. Toushiro sat on the bed and observed her for a while.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm just exhausted. I think I'll be back to normal in the morning."

Seeing her tired face made Toushiro cancelled his small interrogation plan. "Alright. I think I should get going now. I'll meet you again tomorrow and we'll head straight back to Soul Society."

Toushiro got up from the bed. Sakura quickly grabbed his hand. "I would like you to stay."

Toushiro seemed puzzled for a moment before he sat back down beside her. "Sakura, do you live with your parents?"

"…Yes."

That solved one of the mysteries he had about her earlier.

"Then I should go before they come back."

"They're away at the moment…And won't be back in a few days or so."

"_I see." _"Okay, I'll sleep on the couch downstairs." Toushiro got up again but Sakura wouldn't let go of his hand.

"Sleep here… With me," Sakura muttered slowly and shyly. The request startled him. Toushiro didn't speak instead he climbed back onto the bed and hovered above her. He pressed his lips to hers quite eagerly. When Sakura felt his tongue on her lips, she opened her mouth for him and he plunged his tongue inside her mouth and deepened the kiss. Toushiro ended the kiss as he pulled away and stared down at her for a few seconds. He didn't know whether it was the intensity of the moment or that the room had gone considerably warm, but his body felt so hot that he had to bring his shirt over his head and tossed it aside.

Sakura's face got redder and redder. She made a small yelp when Toushiro slowly unbuttoned her shirt one by one but she made no move to stop him. He took it as a sign to continue. But when he was halfway down her shirt, Sakura grabbed his hand, abruptly stopping his actions. Toushiro looked up at her in the eyes.

"T-Toushiro-kun…"

Sakura bit her lip when Toushiro suddenly buried his face in her neck. He moved his lips down to her exposed collarbone, and lingered there for a while, not without leaving a bite mark. He seemed to be hesitant at this point. Sakura clutched the bed sheets tighter when she felt his lips began to move lower. His slow movement sent shivers down her spine. And then he stopped when he reached her cleavage. Sakura trembled when she felt his lips pressed harder on the area.

"Sakura…"

"…Mmm"

It only lasted a few seconds before Toushiro brought his head back to her neck. He inhaled her scent and stayed in that position for a while. He got off of her afterwards and moved to lie beside her. "Let's go to sleep now," he said as he grabbed the blanket and brought it over their body. Sakura inched closer to kiss him on the lips. Toushiro returned the kiss.

Moments later, they were off into their own world. Their backs were facing each other.

**End of flashback**

Toushiro opened his eyes when he felt a drop of cold liquid hit his cheek. It was only a few raindrops at first before it became a downpour. The young Captain got up to his feet, letting the rain wash over him.

He had made a mistake. The dearest person to him was now clinging onto life that could have been avoided if he had ended things differently with her.

"…_Something on her face had said she's missing someone."_

Toushiro balled his fists angrily as he recalled what Yamanaka Ino had said to him. And then, another voice came by.

"_Her heart was in turmoil. I'm afraid it still is. I just hope it won't affect her so badly while she's closing the portal."_

"ARGHH!" His fist came in contact with the wall behind him, resulting in a heavy thud and a small crack. Without moving his hand, he pressed his forehead against the wall in despair. He had never meant to hurt her. All he had intended to do was to protect her. But Toushiro couldn't help but blame himself and feel responsible towards Sakura's current condition.

No matter how long it was going to take, he would be waiting for her to wake up. Just like how he had always been waiting for her to come to him ever since he had made the mistake.

**X **

**Seireitei, Soul Society**

Staying too long in the Shinobi world might get him into trouble. The chances were more likely due to the fact that he didn't come there based on an assigned mission. Now walking down the hallway to his office where more paperwork awaited him, Toushiro felt his mind heavily clouded to the point of having to suppress the boiling rage within him.

"_I swear I'm going to kill that fucking Adjuchas."_

When he arrived at the door of his office, which was left widely ajar, he was surprised to see Rangiku at his desk. And for once, she was actually writing and fully focused on her work that she didn't realize of the presence at the door.

"Matsumoto."

Rangiku's pen literally flew off the table. "Taichou! Oh, you're back…"

Toushiro moved to the front of his desk to examine the papers. Rangiku observed his face. Though he displayed his usual serious demeanor, his eyes told her that he was in sadness.

"How's Sakura, taichou?"

Toushiro sighed. "Still unconscious."

**X**

The wait dragged on for another two weeks. Tsunade had gathered the most capable and top medic ninja in the village to treat her subordinate whom she wished she could save at all costs. Sometimes she would step in and involve in performing tests on Sakura, which had never failed to produce a frustrating result. Tsunade and Shizune knew they had done their very best. All that was left now was to wait for Sakura to come out of her coma.

Ino was arranging the flowers on the table beside Sakura's bed when she heard the door opened. Shuuhei walked in with white Daffodils in his hand.

"Ah, Shuuhei-san," Ino greeted him with a smile.

Shuuhei rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Oh… I visited your shop just now… to buy these."

"Flowers for Sakura again, eh."

Shuuhei ignored her and walked over to her side, placing the flowers in a vase already full of white Daffodils he had brought previously. He then turned to look at Sakura on the bed, taking in the sight wistfully. He observed her pale face and motionless body which were all the same as they were for the past few weeks.

"Hey hey what is this? You often pay her a visit, bring flowers and then now you're staring at her like you're…sad? Is there something going on between you two?" Ino inquired eagerly. Shuuhei cleared his throat and looked away, hiding his blush.

"I really care for Sakura-san."

"Ooooh, I understand what this is," Ino giggled. "I'm sure Sakura will appreciate what you're doing. It's sweet. Unlike this other person who's supposed to be her boyf… Oops." The blonde covered her mouth with her hand, forgotten that Toushiro and Sakura's relationship was supposed to be a secret.

Shuuhei sighed. "I'm aware that she's with someone else."

"…Ah."

Ino let a few moments of awkward silence pass before she asked out of curiosity, "Why must they date in secret? It's a secret, right?"

"Hitsugaya-taichou is…strict. Despite being the youngest Captain of Gotei 13, he's very mature and serious about his position. Perhaps he doesn't want to allow his current affairs to cause a tremor within Seireitei," Shuuhei explained. Ino exhaled a long and slow breath. As she observed Sakura's still face, she contemplated about how Sakura could have kept up with all the stuff that was surrounding her all this time.

"I can't imagine how rough it had been for her these past few months," Ino said which led Shuuhei to think back about the first time he met the pink-haired girl in the Shinigami academy. He was about to recollect the pieces of those memories when the door was opened, revealing Naruto and Sai.

"Naruto, Sai-kun."

"Oh hey, Ino," Naruto looked from the said person to the Shinigami beside her. "Hey," came his response upon seeing Shuuhei.

"Yo," Shuuhei replied back rather awkwardly. He then excused himself from the room, informing the occupants that he had to return to Soul Society.

"Geez, what's up with you, Naruto? You don't seem to be friendly with him," Ino told Naruto.

"Hmph, I just don't like the way he was holding Sakura-chan at that time. In the forest. Is he close to Sakura-chan?"

"Are you jealous, Naruto?" Sai intervened.

Naruto blushed. "I don't even know him. Yet he was all over Sakura-chan like they're a couple or something."

"Tsk tsk, Naruto… Well, what if she really has a boyfriend already?" Ino further questioned to examine Naruto's reactions.

"Hah! There's no way that's possible. We all know who Sakura-chan really likes," Naruto told her, his voice giving away a hint of jealousy. His expression changed as soon as he looked over at the bed. "She's still not waking up, huh..."

Ino gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "It's been three weeks. I know she'll get through it but for now we just have to be patient."

Naruto, Ino and Sai looked silently at Sakura. Naruto sighed.

"Sakura-chan, can you hear us?"

**X**

Darkness began to fade slowly but painfully. She can finally see light beyond it and so she kept on moving and moving. Cherry blossom petals rained down on her gently. Feeling the warmth on her skin and the light fragrance within the room eventually made her fall in a trance. At the moment, it didn't matter where she was, not even bothering to know where the place was. She felt so safe.

"Sakura."

The voice startled her, forcing her out of her reverie. She looked up ahead and could see a silhouette of an angel. She assumed it was an angel due to a presence of a pair of large wings. She wasn't aware of what was going on as she started to see the angel clearer and clearer. She didn't feel her feet moving, but she was inching closer to the angel.

The angel had a short pink hair. She was wearing a white dress that ran down her legs into a clear smoke. As time passed, the smoke gradually extended to her upper body and the angel was fading away.

"…Wait."

Sakura didn't know why but she reached out a hand towards the angel. Upon hearing the voice of her soon to be former wielder, Hikari no Tsubasa turned around gracefully. Crimson red eyes met emerald eyes. Sakura noticed a tear running down the angel's fair cheek. Sakura tried to move closer to Hikari no Tsubasa before the latter could fade.

But it was too late.

As Sakura's hand touched Hikari no Tsubasa's face, her hand went through, feeling the smoke surrounding her entire hand before the angel disappeared completely. Sakura was alone again. And the cherry blossoms had disappeared like magic.

"No…"

Sakura felt her heart racing. Confusion, nervousness, despair and anger mixed together inside her. She felt her hands shaking.

"Sakura!"

"Sakura-chan!"

"Can you hear us, Sakura?!"

The sudden string of voices made her jump. She looked around but found no one around. Only an empty space.

"Sakura!"

The next thing that came through was a shot in the head. Sakura fell onto her knees, clutched her head and closed her eyes in unbearable pain.

After what seemed like an eternity, her eyes snapped open.

**X**

**A few minutes earlier…**

When the heartbeat machine emitted a sudden change in the rhythmic beeps, everyone in the room instantly rushed to Sakura's bedsides in total anticipation. Naruto, Sai and Kakashi were on one side of the bed while the other side was occupied by Yoruichi, Renji, Rukia and Rangiku.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out to her but was disappointed when she didn't stir. The machine tracking her heartbeat was continuously giving out beep sounds without a pause.

Renji turned to examine the zigzag lines on the heartbeat monitor. "What does this mean? The zigzag lines are now closer to one another compared to before."

Kakashi looked at the monitor and then back to Sakura. "It seems that her heart is racing. I guess she's waking up soon."

"Nurse!" Yoruichi called at the top of her voice towards the door.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Sakura!" Rangiku said, trying to reach out to her in case she could hear them.

Naruto placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder and lightly shake her. "Sakura-chan!"

"Can you hear us, Sakura?!" Rukia exclaimed, joining in the attempts to reach out to her.

And then Sakura's brows furrowed, a grunt escaped her lips and her body slightly writhed in pain invisible to the occupants of the room. Sai couldn't help it anymore. He hated seeing her like this for weeks. When the machine brought some change about the condition of her heartbeat earlier, he saw hope. But then now he could only witness her in pain.

Sai grabbed Sakura's hand and held onto it without thinking twice. The move instantly hooked everyone's attention to him. Sai opened his mouth to call out to her.

"Sakura!"

Just then, Sakura's tense expression eased, showing a more calm and steady look. Before anyone could open their mouth to say something, Sakura's eyes shot open. Revealing a pair of shocked and confused pair of emerald orbs.

"Oh my…" Yoruichi muttered.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto's grin was so huge he could feel that this was the happiest moment he had in weeks. Sai let go of Sakura's hand and sighed in relief. _"Thank God…"_

Sakura's eyes averted from the ceiling to look one by one at the people surrounding her. She noted how everyone looked so delighted to see her.

But she wasn't.

"How are you feeling, Sakura?" Kakashi asked but came no response even after a few seconds of silence.

"I think we need the nurse to check up on her. Now where is-" Yoruichi's words were cut off when the door was swiftly opened and came in a nurse who rushed to Sakura's bed.

"Haruno-san!" the nurse exclaimed. Her face lit up at the sight of the patient being awake.

"Sakura, you were in a coma for one month. We're so glad that you finally came through," Rangiku told her.

"One…month?" Sakura questioned slowly, her voice made everyone realize that it was the first time they heard her speak ever since a month ago.

"Yes, Sakura-chan. You had us all worried!" Naruto told her. Sakura narrowed her eyes and looked at everyone again in the room, observing each face one by one. She did that for a good one minute. Everyone was left confused by her peculiar action.

"Sakura… Is there something wrong?" Rukia asked her. Sakura slowly got up, with a bit of difficulty, to a sitting position. Her face now looked more confused than ever.

"Who… Who are you people?"

**-End of Chapter 23-**

* * *

**Next Chapter: Amnesia**

**A/N: Nope, the story isn't coming to an end soon. More action and drama up ahead so stay tuned. :P Anyway, Sakura's mom was first introduced in this story back in chapter 15, which was posted years ago and prior to Sakura's canon parents (Kishi designed them himself) were revealed earlier this year in the original series. So I had to go back to that chapter and edit Sakura's mom's characteristics which I made up. **

**So as promised, let me respond to the reviews I received from chapter 21 onwards. :B **

**MnC21 – Thank you for still sticking to this story even after that long hiatus of mine! Your reviews have always brightened my day. ;D Thanks a lot for your support! xo  
**

**rukishiro kurosaki – I'm flattered to know that you're still following this story after those years. Thank you for your support! You have a nice day too. ;)**

**bodoro – Thank you for leaving a comment! XD **

**Guest – I'm guessing you're referring to the scene in chapter 14 where Sakura 'met' Sasuke near the end of the chapter. Sakura was always about wanting to save and meet him so she could drag him back to the right path. But at that particular moment, she had other bigger priority (which was saving Toushiro) so she said sorry to him that she couldn't 'save' him, even when he was just within an arm's reach at that time.**

**another guest – Turns out the story isn't coming to an end. :P I was just testing you all when I said "So is the story coming to an end?"**

**tylluanpowell – Thank you! :)**

**alinekiryuu – Nope that wasn't the end. XD I'm happy to know that you like the story. Thank you for the review! **

**Guest – thanks!**

**Lastly, thank you all for reading. Have a nice day! **


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